In The Thirteenth Hour
by Ying-Fa-dono
Summary: After tragedy strikes, Sarah finds herself back in the Underground where she hopes to start over. But the Underground doesn't want her. A millenia old curse threatens to change Sarah's life forever, and determine the fate of the Goblin King who loves her.
1. Crash and Burn

Sarah Williams felt as if she was about to pass out. She was sitting in a very uncomfortable, upright position and gripping the armrests of her seat tightly as the plane started to take off. Behind her she could hear her stepmother and younger brother talking.

"Look! Look Mom! We're taking off! We're gonna be flying soon!"

"Yes, Sweetheart, but we need to be quiet. Let's not disturb the other passengers."

"Man! This is so cool! I can't believe Sarah doesn't think this is cool!"

Sarah sank back into her seat, groaning as she heard the roar of the wind just outside the window. She dared to glance at it as she felt the plane lift upwards, but felt herself become slightly dizzy and slid the little flap closed so she would see the earth sinking lower and lower as they gathered height.

It was both Sarah and Toby's first time ever on a plane. The Williams family was flying upward into the sky, flying off for London. Robert Williams had gotten an express vacation at work and had decided to take his entire family to Europe for what he promised would be the time of their lives. Sarah had been thrilled about the idea of traveling to Europe with her family, but had been very nervous about the flight they would take. She'd never been flying in her life, and couldn't help but feel nervous to the point of making herself feel sick.

At twenty-eight years old, Sarah had been dying to get out of work and go somewhere fun with her family. She currently worked as a receptionist for a local company, answering phones and setting up appointments. It had taken some string-pulling to get permission from her boss to let her go on vacation with her family, but thankfully, the man relented and sent her off with the promise that she'll be back after two weeks. She couldn't help but feel a little glum about how gray her life had become after such a colorful childhood.

A certain incident in which she wished her infant brother away to another world had seemed to bring her dreaming days to an abrupt and rather unpleasant halt. She got caught up in school and college and then her job. She barely found time to act anymore, and she had failed to keep her end of a promise she'd made to three, never forgotten friends.

"_Should you need us . . ."_

_"Every now and again in my life . . . for no reason at all . . . I need you."_

Sarah sighed and leaned her head back into her seat. There were times, many, many times when she missed her friends and the fantasy life so much it hurt. Sometimes she'd come home, looking in the mirror and debate whether or not she should call their names and see them. It wouldn't even be a bad day just . . . an uneventful one. She wasn't overly fond of the life she had now, a life that was all business and paper. She missed the theater, she missed fantasy, and she missed the one day, that one glorious adventure . . .

A hand reached in the gap between her seat and the one beside her and patted her shoulder. Sarah looked down and recognized the hand belonging to her father. "Are you okay, Sarah? You're pretty pale."

"I'm okay, Dad," she said, calmly. "I'm just nervous."

"We'll be cruising soon," said Robert. "Just hang on until then."

"Okay," said Sarah, twisting around to give him a reassuring smile. Once she got back into her stressed out position, she started bashing herself for thinking about the Labyrinth again. It had been a good thirteen years since then and now she was moaning and groaning about it again. When will she just come to grips with the idea that her life was here and that nobody can change that. Even if she did call her friends, it would only make the longing to become a child again come back full-force.

_Grow up_, she thought, sharply to herself. _That was a long time ago. Time's passed and it's over now. Toby's safe at home and I've got a perfectly good life here. You need to stop getting depressed over nothing, Sarah._

But it was more difficult than anyone could really think. Her job had started out just fine, it really had. Her boss was a kind gentleman and the other employees were a friendly, pleasant lot. The work was fair and the pay was just fine and she'd managed to get by just fine on her own. The only problem was Eric.

Sarah had no choice but to groan inwardly at that. Poor Eric. He was one of the sales representatives in the office and had been her boyfriend for the past six weeks. The only one of her various attempts at dating that she was sure would work out. Eric was respectful and sweet and seemed to really care about her. The only problem was that the spark of happiness their relationship had started out as was beginning to die out. Shortly before leaving, she'd even run the idea of not seeing each other anymore passed Eric. The look of stunned disbelief on his face had been burned into her mind ever since. It had been very hard to concentrate on work with Eric just around the corner, giving her sad puppy-eyes.

The problem was that she didn't even know what was so wrong with Eric. If she thought about it, it might have been the fact that he kept trying to take the relationship to the next level. He's started sneaking full, on-the-mouth kisses during lunch breaks at the office and had kept trying to keep her close as possible by holding her to him while they walked down the hall and things like that. Once or twice, after an evening out when he'd consumed once glass of wine too many, he'd suggested that one of them stay at the other's place for the night. Those times, she'd laughed it off and offered to drive him home, not taking it seriously when she knew he'd been serious.

It wasn't that she didn't like Eric because she did like him a lot. It's just that the moment things started to get just a little serious, not just with Eric but with anyone she dated, she panicked. She also felt horribly guilty because she'd sometimes think about someone else while she was dating them. A certain 'someone else' she shouldn't be thinking about at all. She didn't like the fact that the Goblin King's face kept popping into her head at the most inappropriate times. Once or twice, he'd cross her mind so suddenly that she'd accidentally say his name out loud, at which point her date would become much more awkward.

There was suddenly a loud beep overhead, snapping Sarah out of her thoughts. The pilot's voice then sounded over the intercom.

**"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached 30,000 feet and we now invite you to remain seated with seat belts securely fastened. In another hour or so, it will be safe to get up and move about the plane, at which time we will turn off the 'fasten safety belt' sign overhead. The drink carts will be coming down the aisle shortly where you can enjoy some complementary beverages. Thank you very much and enjoy your flight. DING"**

_Easy for him to say,_ said Sarah, still clinging nervously to her armrests, to the annoyance of the stuffy man sitting next to her, who was eyeing the armrest and clearly wanted it. She wouldn't be giving it up, however. Not for the next several hours it took to finally reach London.

The plane trip was slow and long. Behind her, Toby got bored and started playing his Game Boy, loud enough for Sarah to hear him. The drink cart came by and Sarah got herself a small, plastic glass of ginger ale, which she sipped nervously as the flight went on. She wasn't about to get anything alcoholic because she already felt so queasy and she didn't like the stuff much anyway.

After several more uneventful hours, she finally unclasped her hand from around the armrest and reached into the bag at her feet. From within, she pulled out a book and started to read. The only place she'd allow for fantasy in her life was through her books. No matter how old you get, you can still enjoy a good book. There were the classics like 'Gulliver's Travels', 'Alice in Wonderland', and 'The Sword in the Stone' but also newer, wilder ones that she saved for mostly at home.

Just as she was starting to relax and getting to the good part of her book, did the plane give a slight lurch. Several people gasped and cried out slightly, having removed their seat belts. Sarah dropped her book and resumed her armrest-gripping position when she heard a beeping over hear head. The seat belt sign had been turned on once more and the pilot was talking over the intercom once again.

**"Ladies and gentleman, we seem to be having some freak weather conditions. Please return to your seats and fasten your safety belts once more, the signal has once again been turned on. We would like to ask you to please remain calm, for their may be some mild turbulence, but this will likely pass quickly. Thank you very much for your patience. DING"**

Sarah's heartbeat suddenly sped up. Freak weather? Turbulence? That was just what she needed. She forced herself to take some long, slow breaths. Things like this happened all the time. Planes very rarely crashed. She was in good hands, she knew it. The pilot must have been through this a hundred times, and would take them safely to Europe. But these comforting thoughts were chased from her mind as the plane bumped again. There were several more cries of surprise from the following passengers and a couple of children had started complaining and crying.

Sarah wrenched her hand off the armrest and reached into her purse, this time pulling out a small, compact mirror. It wasn't that she had any intention of applying make-up at that time, it was so she could look at her father, stepmother, and brother who were seated right behind her. She opened the compact, took once glance at her white, frightened face, then tilted the mirror around the gap between the seats.

Robert was leaning over his wife, making sure that Toby's seatbelt was fastened securely. Irene was holding onto the armrests, rather like Sarah was, looking unsure and nervous. Toby was gazing out of his window, his eyes wide as if torn between awe and fear.

"Toby," said Sarah, turning in her chair so he could hear her voice. "It's alright, Toby. It's going to be o . . ."

A loud BOOM interrupted Sarah as the plane lurched worse than ever. Sarah couldn't help the scream of fear that escaped her throat as she was almost lifted off her seat. Her compact fell to the floor, reflecting the ceiling in its small mirror. The plane then began to shake violently. Panicking, her heart racing, Sarah slid the shield over her window opened and saw something that made her absolutely sick.

A stream of black smoke was issuing from the turbine on the right wing. It must have been hit by lightning. There were black clouds everywhere, and every now and again, Sarah saw more forks of lightning striking across the sky. How could this be? How did a storm so violent brew up. Didn't the airlines check for this king of thing?

Sarah felt herself being tossed wildly as the plane rumbled and the lights flickered above them. Had they been struck again? _It can't be_, Sarah thought, praying with all her heart. _This just can't be! This was supposed to be safe. Are we about to . . .?_

The plane began to shake ever more violently and an alarm started buzzing overhead. People were screaming, children were crying and, from behind her, Sarah heard her brother's scared voice. "M-Mom?" he whimpered.

"It's gonna be okay, Toby," said Irene's voice. "It . . . It's gonna be okay, Sweetie."

Sarah wanted to turn around and smack her stepmother. How dare she say things were going to be okay!? Did things look okay to her? Because things certainly didn't look okay for everyone else on this flight! Everyone else was frantic. Some of them were clinging tightly to loved ones, a few seemed to be praying, and one man even had a string of prayer beads dangling from his hands. Sarah watched the little cross swinging from the man's fingers and the horrible truth struck her hard.

They just might not survive this.

As if to confirm that, the compartments overhead opened and the plastic breathing masks dangled in front of them. Sarah reached for hers, but the plane buckled viciously.

"No," she moaned. "No, please no. Please, somebody , please . . ."

The other passengers began frantically putting on their masks. The man sitting next to Sarah was reciting the Lord's Prayer as he slid his own over his nose and mouth. They were falling and falling fast. They weren't going to make it. They were going to crash. The thought made Sarah paralyzed with fear. She couldn't even raise her arms to put her mask on. Big mistake. On top of everything else, she was getting lightheaded and couldn't breathe.

"Please . . . someone please," Sarah gasped, hoping she would pass out before they hit the ground. "Help . . . somebody please, please help . . ."

The plane was shaking out of control now. They were heading down hard and fast. Sarah looked down and could see, not land, but ocean. They were going to land in the ocean and sink. Her vision got blurry. She couldn't breathe anymore. She was going to pass out before it happened. Good. Maybe that would make it better. Sarah thought she heard someone say her name, but it was too distant. Sarah's eyes slid closed, the alarms blazing out of control above her head, the passengers cries of fear were muffled by their masks as they sped faster and faster toward death.


	2. Underground

**Ying-Fa: Yay! It's good to be back and getting all these great reviews! Okay, here's the next chapter.**

**Day 1**

Sarah snuggled deeper into her bed, her body so heavy and her mind so blank that all she wanted to do was sleep some more, unwilling to get up and have to deal with Eric at work. She hadn't heard her alarm clock yet so it must still be early. She would use this time to get herself more awake before she got up to take on the day.

She rolled over onto her other side, keeping her eyes sealed shut. Today would be the first time she'd had to work with Eric since she suggested that they break up. Oh, she hoped he'd take it well. She hoped he might be like Tom. Tom had taken their break up very well, a little sad, but well. Just as long as he didn't act like Paul. Paul had been a _disaster._

It was then that it occurred to her that sunlight was shining down on her closed eyelids. Sunlight? But she hadn't heard her alarm clock. Shaking off her dazed sleepiness, she wrenched her eyes open. What she saw what certainly not her apartment, or her old bedroom in her dad's house. She was in a low-ceilinged, hovel-looking room with a small round window set into the dome-shaped walls. There was short door that was slightly ajar near the edge of the bed she was currently lying in. The bed, she now realized, consisted of a much smaller bed than the one she was used to, a tiny sofa, and a footstool all pressed up together to form one large bed, with a mess of mismatched blankets thrown higgledy-piggledy over her.

_Where am I?_ she wondered, for she'd never seen this place before in her life. She untangled herself from the blankets and looked down at herself. She was wearing her best jeans and a button-up shirt. The clothes were hers, but they certainly weren't anything she'd wear to sleep. She walked across the room and found a squat door not far from her make-shift bed and opened it up.

Sarah looked around in pure bewilderment. Where on earth was she? It looked as if someone had built a house inside of a large, rabbit's tunnel. It made her think of Hobbit holes that she'd read about in Tolkien books. The only difference was this place was particularly untidy. There were pieces of cloth, books, pots, and pans all over the floor and reminded Sarah of the dorms of college students. Sarah heard noises coming from another room around the corner. She stepped out of her room, stood up and hit her head on the low ceiling.

"Ouch!"

The noises from the other room stopped. She then heard shuffling, uneven footsteps and a familiar face peeked around the corner. Sarah's heart jolted at the sight of someone she didn't think she'd ever see again.

"Sarah?"

"Hoggle?"

The little dwarf that had helped her rescue her brother thirteen years ago was looking around the doorway at her. He'd barely changed since last they'd met. His grubby brown skin, his overlarge nose, and watery blue eyes were just as Sarah remembered.

"Ah, yer awake," said Hoggle, kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, alright," said Sarah, a bit dazed at the sudden reappearance of her old friend. "Hoggle, what happened? How did I get . . .?"

But before she could finish, the memories of where she'd been before waking up a few minutes ago came back to her with a startling jolt.

"The plane!" she cried. "The crash! Oh gosh, what happened?"

"Relax now, Sarah," said Hoggle, wobbling over to her and patting her hand. "Try not to get too excited."

"But what happened?" Sarah demanded. "How did I get here?"

"I, er, I brought ya," said Hoggle, taking her by the hand and pulling her into a kitchen that was as messy as the rest of the little house. Hoggle guided her into a chair at a small, scrubbed table.

"You brought me here?" Sarah asked, confused. "How? How did you manage that?"

"There was a little mirror on the floor that I could see ya out of," said Hoggle, not looking at her but busying himself with blackened kettle. "I was worried about ya and I . . . pulled ya through. I hope yer not too upset at me but . . ."

"No, no it's okay," said Sarah. "But what about everyone else? My father, stepmother, and Toby were on that flight with me."

Hoggle didn't say anything and he didn't turn around to face her. Sarah's heart plummeted. Surely this didn't mean . . .

"Wait," she said, barely recognizing her own voice. "They're not . . . they didn't . . . they aren't . . . dead?"

Hoggle still wouldn't face her, but she didn't need him to in order to know what the answer to her question was. Sarah clapped her hands over her mouth as she gasped in realization. Then the tears came. Floods and floods of tears started leaking their way down her face and falling onto the old wooden table.

"It . . . can't be," she choked out. "Not them . . . not my family . . . no!"

Sarah fell onto the table, burying her face in her arms, crying. "This can't be happening! I can't believe it! I _won't_ believe it! I don't want to! No, please, no . . ."

She then felt a hand on the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, Sarah," said Hoggle, his own voice was choked with what sounded like guilt. "I woulda saved 'em too, if I could. But it took everything I had to yank you into that teensy, little mirror. And it was all happenin' so fast, I . . ."

"It . . . it isn't your fault," said Sarah, lifting her head but unable to stop the steady flow of tears from her eyes. "We . . . should never have taken that flight. But they . . . they were all . . . so . . . excited . . ."

Sarah wasn't able to talk after that, there were too many tears, too much crying to be done.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

It was twilight when Sarah finally found herself completely dry of tears, but not free from her misery. Her family was completely gone now. She had nobody to go back to. Her birth mother, Linda, had died of a heart attack three years ago, and now this tragedy occured. She now had nobody. Everyone she loved was dead. By all rights, she should be dead too. If Hoggle hadn't swooped in and saved her, she would be dead too. But here she was, alive and left to grieve. She couldn't bring herself to be angry at Hoggle for rescuing her. His last memories of her were those of a dear friend, and if Sarah had seen somebody she knew in danger, even if she hadn't seen them in several years, she would like to think she'd done just as Hoggle had.

Hoggle had been patient with her through her grief. He kept giving her cups of some strange kind of tea that she'd never had before and offering her tissues and words of comfort. It surprised her that he was so good at comforting. He didn't really seem the type to worry about other people's sadness. Nevertheless, he stayed with her the entire day, offering whatever he could to help soothe her.

Finally, exhausted and tired of crying, she looked up at the little dwarf who had been keeping her company all this time. "Thanks Hoggle, I think I'm . . . well, I can't say better but . . . I think it's subsided for awhile."

"Oh, good," said Hoggle, hastily pouring her more tea. "That's good. Here ya go, drink sumore of that."

"What is this stuff anyway?" said Sarah, looking at the tea in her cup. "I don't know this kind of tea."

"You wouldn't," said Hoggle. "It's from here in the Underground. It's called Elvenroot tea. Dwarves aren't too fond of the stuff, but I hear it's pretty nutritious for humans."

"I . . . see," said Sarah. "What . . . what's been going on down here? How . . . has the labyrinth been?"

It was awkward to try and start a causal conversation when she'd just received the news that her family was gone. But she'd done so much crying, she wondered if her tears had simply washed her through the shock and now she'd gotten to the point where she craved some level of normality. True, you wouldn't get much normality where she was right now; talking to a dwarf in another world, but anything was good enough for her at this point.

"Oh fine," said Hoggle, sitting down beside her. "Things have been going just fine. "Labyrinth's the same as usual, full of filthy goblins."

"Nothing changed after I left?" said Sarah, puzzled. "Well, something has to be different. It has been over a decade."

"Change doesn't occur too much down here," said Hoggle. "But it's true that the Gobin City's been cleaned out of the rocks Ludo left behind. Didymus is still watchin' over the Bog and I've . . . been fired."

"Fired?"

"Yup," said Hoggle. "I've been officially kicked out. They hired some lousy ol' troll to take care of the fairy problem at the gates. Ipswitch is his name and he's as dim as he is ugly. It's an insult havin' him hired in my place."  
"Was it because . . . you helped me?" Sarah asked, feeling guilty on top of everything else.

"Well, partly," said Hoggle. "I had meself a list of offenses before you even showed up. I did it to myself. I don't mind too much. Now I live a simple life out here on the outskirts. At least I can still go into the city for errands."

"I'm sorry," said Sarah. "Did Ludo and Didymus get into trouble as well?"

"Not as much as I did," said Hoggle. "Like I said, Didymus is still in charge of the bog, but he's not in the royal guard anymore. Now he's just serving as a private solider working voluntarily. Ludo was still okay, last time I checked. Still lives in the hedges, but they've been a lot less lenient whenever the goblins hunt him down for fun."

"That's horrible," said Sarah, sharply. "Hearing that, I'd say the Goblin King is still in charge."

"Oh," said Hoggle, looking away from her and suddenly seeming very interested in his left hand. "Oh yeah. Jareth's still here, as he was before."

"I can't believe this," said Sarah. "After all he did, after all that happened, he's still in charge."

"Well, it coulda been worse," said Hoggle, still not looking at her. "It's not like he bogged us all. And it's not like your visit to the Underground didn't do anything to him at all. Jareth was really strange for a long time. Locked himself up in his castle and didn't come out for ages. When he finally did come out, that was when he remembered that we'd had a hand in helping ya and that's when he punished us."

But Sarah hardly listened to this. She liked being angry at the Gobin King for what he'd done to her friends. She liked being able to feel angry. She wanted to feel something that wasn't disbelief and grief over her family. She wanted to have someone to be angry at. She needed a villain right now and he was her best shot. She liked blaming him, she liked _hating _him.

"Sarah, are you okay? Ya still don't look too good."

Sarah jerked out of her angry thoughts. "I'm-I'm sorry, Hoggle," she stammered. "I . . . I don't know what . . . what . . ."

"I know what," said Hoggle, flopping out of his little seat. "You're not right. Today's not been a very good day. Why don't ya get to bed? Sleep off some of the numbness. See if it makes you feel any better."

Sarah lowered her gaze to the dregs of tea still in her cup. Her father, mother, stepmother, and brother's faces all flashed into her head and she felt the old tears start to well up again in her eyes. "That's . . . probably a good idea."

Hoggle helped her out of her seat and back into the room she'd woken up in. She laid back down in the make-shift bed as Hoggle piled the blankets back over her. "Rest up, Sarah," he said. "Try and make yourself feel better with some nice, good dreams."

"Thank you," said Sarah. "Thank you, Hoggle."

But as Hoggle left the room and closed the door, all Sarah had the will to do was bury her face into her pillow and unleash her sorrow.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Hoggle bustled around the house, closing curtains and making sure the only door was locked. He knew as well as the next person that having Sarah here was one of the biggest "no-no"s in the entire Underground. True, he couldn't just leave her all alone right now. He still considered her his friend and dwarves did not abandon those they called friend.

At that moment, a knock on the door rang through the silence. Hoggle jumped and thought his poor old heart would give out. Please, whoever it was, just go away. Let it just be the milk-goblin or something. Just let it be the milk-goblin!

With trembling hands, he opened the door and gasped at who he saw. The figure was standing tall outside the door. The hood of his cloak covering his face and his arms folded across his chest. It most certainly wasn't the milk-goblin.

"Well?" said the guest.

Hoggle gulped. "Well, what did you expect?" he said. "Her family's gone and died in that accident! She's distraught! She could hardly move or eat all day, she's been so sad. You're sure the Court won't find out about this? It won't matter what I say. If _he_ sees her here, I'm worse than bogged! I'm as good as dead!"

"Patience, patience," said the guest. "I'll make sure the king remains unaware of what has transpired. I'm searching for it now. She'll be both out of danger and out of the Underground before soon. All I need is you to keep her indoors."

"But the curse . . ."

Before Hoggle could finish his sentence, his small clock began to toll. The guest looked over at it.

"See?" he said. "She has twelve more days. I'll find it before then, you know I will. Thirteen days is the limit, you know that. The girl has thirteen days before she becomes one of us . . . forever. And that must not be allowed to happen."


	3. World of Make Believe

**Ying-Fa: Thank you everyone who reviewed to my last chapter. It was sad for me, too. But it's all omelets and eggs, I guess. Anyway, this is where things heat up, please read and enjoy!**

**Day 3**

Sarah awoke on the third day after her arrival into the Underground and felt as if a magnificent weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She'd spent the whole of yesterday mourning her family and worrying over what was going to happen to her now. Now, her head finally felt clearer than it had since her arrival and she realized she very much wanted to be out of Hoggle's house.

She peeked out of the little round window in her room and saw that it was just daybreak. Hoggle was probably still asleep. Sarah slipped out of the room and tiptoed carefully down the hall, ducking her head along the way so she wouldn't bump her head on the ceiling again. She opened the small door at the end of the hall and shimmied through it.

The Underground seemed just as it had when Sarah had left it, thirteen years ago. Hoggle's little house seemed to be several yards away from the massive Labyrinth that she had run as a child. Sarah watched as the sun rose higher into the sky, throwing the Labyrinth into the light and revealing its twisted passages and winding depths and, in the very distance, the towers of the Castle beyond the Goblin City. It was almost a little startling how very the same everything seemed. It was as if the past thirteen years had never happened and she was still the fifteen year old girl she had been back then.

Sarah stretched and yawned. It was something of a relief to be out of Hoggle's house. Being cramped in a place that was built for someone half her size wasn't very good for one's posture, and the makeshift bed Hoggle had her sleeping on had left various aches and pains all over her body. It was nice to get out and stretch and walk around a bit.

"Well," she said with a slight sigh. "Come on, feet."

She walked around the little house to where a few trees were scattered and where a path lead down to the Labyrinth. She trumped along the path towards the giant maze, thinking about her lost family and the world she'd left behind. Now that she was out and about, she could finally make a decision that had kept her worried for two whole days.

She was not going to go back to the Aboveground. She couldn't go back. She'd lost her family and now she couldn't think about living in the Aboveground without them. True, there were her friends and coworkers and . . . well, there was Eric. But things just wouldn't be the same if she didn't have her family, the people she had an absolute guarantee that they loved her. Besides, everyone would think she'd died in the accident along with everyone else. What would she say to her friends, let alone the authorities, when they asked her how she got out of an accident where everyone else had perished?

But what would she do here? Was there anyplace she could live? She couldn't keep staying with Hoggle. His house may have been just the right size for him, but it did nothing for Sarah's nerves and she preferred to live somewhere that she didn't receive aches and pains from just walking around. It suddenly occurred to her that she had very little, if any, idea what the Underground was like. The only part of it that she'd been last time was the Labyrinth, and she had not intention of going back there anytime soon. She doubted the Goblin King would be all too accepting of her return. It was sad really. If she'd known that she would be taking up residence in this place one day, then it might have been nice to have an authority figure like the Goblin King on her side. Still, that didn't make what he'd done to her and Toby okay.

Sarah continued her walk around, simply investigating. Suddenly, she heard a peculiar sound coming from somewhere in the distance. Interested, she moved in the direction of the sound, wondering what it might be. Walking further away from Hoggle's house, she came upon another hovel, similar to Hoggle's. Outside the little door of this one was a strange blue-skinned creature that Sarah had never seen before.

It was shorter than Hoggle, with long, stringy, matted hair and a small lump of a body on which it stood on stubby legs. What was more, this creature had a third eye set right into the center of its forehead. It seemed to be asleep, for all three of the eyes were closed, and the sound she had heard seemed to be the creature's snoring. As she stepped forward for a closer look, however, the third one popped open, quickly followed by the others and the creatures let out a yelp.

"Wot be you?" it snarled in a deep, grunting voice that sounded like it could belong to a female. "Wot be you!?"

"I'm sorry," said Sarah, quickly backing away. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Hm," grumble the creature, slouching forward. "Wot be you?" she asked again, circling Sarah and sniffing. "Look's strange. Look like . . . human?"

"Yes," said Sarah. "Yes, I'm a human."

"Nope," said the creature turning away. "Nope, no human. Bad dream. Bad dream taunting old Hagwitch. Showing Hagwitch a human. Bad dream. Bad, bad dreams."

"No," Sarah insisted. "This isn't a dream. This is real, I'm a human."

"Dream tells Hagwitch it's not a dream," grumbled the creature. "Rude. Rude, rude, rude. Human no live in Underground. Not for long, anyway, heh heh. Nope. No human."

"But seriously, I am," said Sarah.

"Hm," said Hagwitch, turning to look at Sarah again with her three eyes. Sarah now noticed that the third eye looked different that the other ones. The two normal ones were beady and black, but the third was a mint green and larger and rounder than the others.

"Dream says it's not a dream," said Hagwitch again, now shuffling around Sarah in circles. "Strange. Bad dream. But dream doesn't look like dream. Dream looks like human," she sniffed again. "Smells like human. Walks like human. Talks like human. Either bad dream or stupid reality."

"What are you saying?" said Sarah.

"Ah!" gasped Hagwitch. "A human!"

"Yes, I am a human," said Sarah, feeling a little exasperated.

"Hm, humans no live in Underground," said Hagwitch. "Humans no good in Underground. No, oh no."

"What?" said Sarah, confused as ever. "Why not?"

"Humans aren't what's bad," said Hagwitch, shuffling over to her hole. "Fae aren't what's bad. Humans and Fae, that's bad."

"Fae? What are Fae?" asked Sarah.

"Fae are the Pretty Beings, they are," said Hagwitch, opening her door and slouching through, but she never stopped talking to Sarah. "They be the crème-de-la-crème of the Underground, they be. They are the creatures with Knowledge."

"Well, they can't be the only ones with knowledge," said Sarah, calling into the house, but deciding it rude to actually enter without permission. "I've met plenty of smart creatures here."

"No," said Hagwitch's voice. "No, no, no. Creatures live off instinct. Goblins live off instinct. Monsters live off instinct. Hagwitch lives off instinct. You think we have knowledge just because we talk? Silly. Silly, silly, silly."

Hagwitch shuffled out of her house again, this time carrying a large box of rusty looking tools. "We walk," she said, rummaging through her things. "We talk. Why do we do that but no Knowledge? Simple. Simple, simple, simple. Magic. Here is magic, up there," she pointed at the sky. "No magic. None, none, none."

"I . . . think I understand," said Sarah.

"Human's illegal in Underground," said Hagwitch, pulling a large, rusty knife out of her box. "So hard to find ingredients, what with no more humans. No ingredients, no potions, no nothing. Not a witch if I can't make potions, no, no, no."

She shuffled up to Sarah, holding her knife. Sarah suddenly felt very apprehensive. It would be simple enough to simply kick at this little creature and be done with her if she tried to do anything to hurt her. "Hey, stay back," she demanded.

"So defensive," said Hagwitch. "Only need," she squinted her two black eyes at an ancient looking book. "Vocal chords, eyeball, spleen, teeth, fingernail, intestines . . . grow back so fast, they do."

"No they do not!" snapped Sarah. "Back off!"

"Must be done," said Hagwitch. "Can't wait too long. Spoils it does. Now gimme. Gimme, gimme, gimme."

"Get away from her, ya mad ol' bat!"

Sarah turned to see Hoggle hurrying toward them, his feet shuffling and his face red with fury. Hagwitch began to hiss and spit like an angry cat and brandished her knife at Hoggle.

"Icky, sticky, mugwart!" shrieked Hagwitch. "Nasty Fae-bootlicker! Shoo! Shoo, shoo, shoo!"

"Shoo to you!" growled Hoggle. "Go on, beat it!"

Hissing violently at Hoggle, Hagwitch shuffled back into her hovel and closed the door behind her.

"Crazy old loon!" bellowed Hoggle, then he turned to Sarah. "And you, little missy! What are you doing wandering around outside? Does it look safe to you?"

"Hoggle, I am not an excitable little teenager anymore," said Sarah. "I'm an adult now."

"So I noticed," grumbled Hoggle. "Still, no matter how old ya are, it isn't the best plan for you to be wondering around the Underground by yourself. Humans aren't very . . . common down here and, well, you being here might . . . excite some of the beings here."

"Excite?" said Sarah, puzzled.

"I don't know how else to say it," said Hoggle.

"But I might as well get used to it," said Sarah, looking back at Hagwitch's hovel. "I mean, I live here now so . . ."

"What?" said Hoggle.

"I'm gonna live here now," said Sarah. "Wasn't that the plan when you brought me here?"

"Sarah," said Hoggle, soothingly. "I'm so glad you're alright and not hurt, but you can't seriously want to live down here in the Underground."

"Why shouldn't I?" Sarah asked.

"Because you don't . . . well, this isn't really where you belong, now is it?" Hoggle said, looking down at the ground. "I brought ya here because I was afraid that you were gonna die."

"Well, I can't just go back Aboveground," said Sarah, hotly. "I don't have anything there anymore. My family is dead! If I go back, I'll be completely alone. If I'm here at least I'll have you and my other friends. It's more than I have there."

Hoggle looked around then gestured for her to follow him back into his house. "Best to do the chatting inside," he said. "It's still a bit early and there are a lot of creatures that aren't pleasant risers."

Sarah nodded and crouched back into the house through the small door. Once the two of them were once again settled down at Hoggle's table, he made her some more tea and then began to talk again.

"Now Sarah," said Hoggle. "I don't know what kinda impression ya got when you were here before, but this isn't some fancy vacation spot. And don't say that ya've got nothin' back in yer own home. Ya've gotta have something worth going back too."

"What? My job?" said Sarah, glumly. "Well, my boss and coworkers were nice people and I guess I might kinda miss them. But I don't have any real friends, just people I stand around with and listen to as they talk amongst themselves. That's all, really. Other than them, all I have are a long string of broken hearted men to deal with."

Hoggle cast her a curious look before gulping down his own tea. Once he'd swallowed he said, "Well . . . now, I don't wanna sound like I'm tryin' to get rid of ya or anything, Sarah but . . . there's a lot about this world that can be kinda dangerous for people like you. You just saw what that mad ol' Hagwitch had in mind once she'd figured out what ya were."

"Yeah," said Sarah. "But . . . I guess my family was my best source of comfort in the Aboveground. No matter what was going on in my life . . . I knew they would always love me. You don't get that kind of guarantee in the rest of the world." Sadness threatened to engulf her once again, but she managed to swallow it back with a swig of tea.

"I'm sorry," said Hoggle, but then he looked downward. "Y'know, maybe there's somethin' that can be done fer yer folks."

Sarah's eyes popped open. "Like what?" she asked, a bit forcefully.

"Well . . ."

But before Hoggle could say anything more, the sound of his front door burst open. The two friends jumped out of their seats in time to see two strange creatures slide into the room. They were shaped like wolves, but they were the most unusual wolves that Sarah had ever seen. One of them had what appeared to be long, lethal looking icicles instead of fur while the other's fur resembled long hot flames. Their under fur was silver for the ice-wolf and gold for the fire-wolf and at the moment, both creatures were looking and growling right at them.

"Oh no!" cried Hoggle. "They've found us!"

"What?!" Sarah gasped.

But before anything else could happen, the wolves darted at them. Hoggle tried to run for it, but the fire-wolf caught the scruff of his neck with his teeth and began to drag him toward the door.

"Run, Sarah!" Hoggle yelled as the fiery beast pulled him away. "Run! Run away!"

Sarah barely had time to move before the ice-wolf started for her. She picked up Hoggle's table just in time to use it as a shield and she heard the ice-wolf run into it in its haste to get at her. Ducking out from under the table she hurried over toward Hoggle and the fire-wolf, which was dragging him out the door.

"Leave him alone!" Sarah bellow, seizing Hoggle's ankle and trying to pull him out of the beast's grip. The fire-wolf growled angrily at her and pulled back, its glistening teeth starting to tear Hoggle's shirt.

"There's no time!" cried Hoggle. "Save yourself, Sarah! Save yourself! Get to the Labyrinth! You'll be safe there!"

"I'm not going without . . ." Sarah began, but then she cried out as she felt a terrible pain in her leg. She looked down to see the ice-wolf was back and had sunk its teeth into her leg. Blood gushed from where the beast's teeth had broken the skin of her leg and now the two monsters were trying to pull the two apart.

"Get . . . off!" Sarah demanded, keeping a firm grip on Hoggle's ankle, while trying to kick the beast with her free foot. "Let go . . . of me!"

The ice-wolf growled ever deeper and kept tearing at Sarah's leg. She was sure if she didn't get it off soon, it would rip her entire leg off. Sarah tugged ever harder on Hoggle's leg until a loud _riiiiip_ filled the air. Hoggle's shirt had torn off and he fell to the ground, free from the fire-wolf.

"Hoggle!" Sarah cried, the pain in her leg now excruciating.

The fire-wolf wasn't going to give in without a fight. It sprang back on its hind legs, let out a furious howl, then charged at Hoggle and Sarah. The two friends ducked and the beast, instead of getting its prize, accidentally sank its teeth into the icy fur of its companion. The ice-wolf let out a yowl of pain, letting Sarah's leg free at last.

Sarah forced herself to stand and she and Hoggle fled from the house as the two beasts snapped and growled at each other. Sarah's bitten leg refused to let her move very far, but there was little she could do otherwise. She limped after Hoggle, who had a firm grip on her hand, pulling her down the hill that lead to the Labyrinth.

"Come on, now Sarah!" Hoggle cried, pulling her along. "We need to get to the Labyrinth! We'll be safe there!"

"Y-yes," Sarah panted, torn between desperation to reach their destination and agony over her bitten leg.

Before soon they reached the large wall where the two of them had first met outside the Labyrinth. Sarah, who had approached the wall at a hobbling run, slammed herself right into the wall. Her bitten leg trembled beneath her and she slid to the ground, unable to move anymore. Hoggle pounded his fists rapidly against the wall and started to yell.

"Let us in!" he bellowed. "We need to get into the Labyrinth! Let us in!"

But the doors to the Labyrinth refused to appear. Sarah turned around and let out a small scream when she saw the two wolves were back, bearing down on them with incredible speed.

"Oh no, no, no!" yelled Hoggle.

The wolves caught sight of them, and then slowed down as they moved toward them. Their teeth were bared and their fur on end, as if daring them to try and run away again.

"Romulus! Remus! What have you found there?"

From atop the hill came even more figures. One of them was Hagwitch, shuffling along in the shadow of a much larger creature. Sarah recognized the second creature for what it was at once. It was a Cyclops. It was twice as tall as a normal man with one large, bulging eye set in the middle of its forehead. It was wearing armor and a helmet and was glaring down at Hoggle and Sarah in a way that told Sarah she was in very deep trouble.

"Looks like you weren't lying after all, ya foul old crone," said the Cyclops. "Well, well, a human in the Underground. Haven't had somethin' like this occur in quite some time. And this be the perpetrator that brought the vile thing here, is it?" His one eye whizzed over to glare at Hoggle.

"Be it! Be it!" Hagwitch cried. "Defend the human, the dwarf did! Him bring it here! Hagwitch knows it."

"Argh! You miserable sack of bones!" roared Hoggle.

"Quit yer yappin' dwarf!" bellowed the Cyclops. "Ah, it's been some time since we've gotten to witness a good execution. Romulus, Remus, bring them! The Court is waiting for them."


	4. Politik

**Ying-Fa: Thanks again to all you lovely reviewers out there! I love you all! So you know, this chapter title is spelled that way on purpose. It isn't a typo. Thanks again and please enjoy this next chapter.**

Sarah trudged forward, breathless and consumed with pain in her leg. The Cyclops had bound both her and Hoggle around the wrists and was dragging them down a long road, further and further away from the Labyrinth. Sarah could hardly walk anymore, her bitten leg was bleeding and aching as it supported her weight. Every time she stumbled and almost fell, one of the two wolves would growl and snap their jaws warningly at her and she'd force herself to stand again and continue on.

"Where are they taking us?" Sarah asked Hoggle in an undertone.

"I'm not sure, but I know it's not gonna be pretty," said the miserable-looking dwarf.

"Enough talking," snapped the Cyclops. "This should be far enough to transport. His Majesty warned me not to try any magic too close to the Labyrinth, lest that flea-bitten Goblin King try anything smart."

"Glamrod!" cried Hagwitch, who was also shuffling along. "You keep promise, yes! Give Hagwitch pieces she needs! You give her human-leftovers, yes!"

"What? You think I'm going to take orders from you?" laughed the Cyclops, kicking at the squat creature. "Little traitors like you don't deserve favors from the High Council. Why do you think Prince Renning had that Third Eye implanted on you? He wanted to make sure you didn't get into any mischief, you little runt! Now off with you, before you make the air stink worse than it already does!"

Hagwitch let out a squawk like an angry chicken but shuffled away nevertheless, shaking her fist at the Cyclops. The large, one-eyed creature laughed at her retreating back then turned to the wolves and his two prisoners. "Let's go then," he said. "The Court is waiting for us."

He slipped his hand into a small bag hanging from his belt and out came a small jagged black stone. He threw it to the ground and in the next second, Sarah felt the ground beneath her feet crumble and she was falling into dark, cold nothingness. When her feet finally met solid ground again, her injured leg crumpling beneath her, they were somewhere completely different.

An enormous, shining castle stood before them. It was greater and grander even then the Castle beyond the Goblin City. It hat hundreds of turrets and towers, its walls made of some marvelous white stone that glittered like diamond. Various flags, each with a different color and symbol, waved from every tower. Sarah could barely take in the splendid sight before she was pulled away by the Cyclops. He dragged her and Hoggle over to a large door that was guarded by large rock-creatures that Sarah didn't recognize.

"Prisoners in need of trial," said the Cyclops to the rock-creatures. "I've come to take them to Court where they'll receive judgment from the Council."

The rock monsters understood him and pounded their large fists into the ground (Sarah lost her footing again and fell as the ground shook) and the doors opened. The Cyclops dragged her and Hoggle through the doors into a massive hall with crystal floors, ruby red rugs, and diamond chandeliers dangling from the high ceilings. Sarah could never have imagined a place of such beauty and she dearly wished she could be seeing it under different circumstances. The Cyclops dragged them on until they came across another pair of large doors.

"Time for judgment," sneered the Cyclops as he opened the doors. Inside was a vast courtroom. Rows and rows of benches were stationed all around the room and were fitted into different sections. In each section were groups of different creatures. There was even a section filled with goblins. Sarah tried to figure out which kind was which, but there were so many it was almost impossible. In the center of the benches there were a group of creatures that Sarah would have been certain were humans. They certainly looked like them, but at the same time they were different, strange. Sarah then realized that these must be the same race to which the Goblin King belonged. Four of these, for lack of a better word, people were sitting in very fancy golden thrones and they were focusing, as everyone else was, on the being sitting in the middle of the room, which was apparently being tried.

"Mukluk of the Gremlin Kingdom," said a small creature Sarah recognized as a Brownie that was standing on a platform and reading a long piece of paper. "You have been found guilty of disorderly conduct, invasion of private property, destruction of private property, and trying to waltz with residents living in private property without consent. Have you anything to say on your behalf?"

"Well, what can I say?" said the little gremlin in the room. "I was so drunk . . . eh, um, but well . . . I'm sorry?"

"The harpy whose home you invaded has asked for permission to gouge out your eyes and eat them," said the Brownie. "However, because of the case plead for you by the Gremlin King, you are sentenced for 987,654,321 hours of community service."

"What!? No!" cried the gremlin. "That bird lady wants my eyes, take 'em! There yers!"

"Case closed," said the Brownie, slamming a gavel onto the platform where it stood. Two large Minotaurs came by and dragged the fidgeting gremlin away. Sarah gulped as they watched them.

"He'd rather have his eyes gouged out than do community service?" she asked Hoggle.

"Gremlins are . . . well, more the violent type," Hoggle replied. "Their day ain't complete if somebody doesn't get injured in their kingdom."

"Right then," said the Brownie. "If there are no more cases that need to be discussed, Court will then be adjourned."

"One moment, Scribe," called the Cyclops. "I've a matter of utmost seriousness to present to the Royal Family."

The stepped forward and threw Sarah and Hoggle into the center of the room. The two wolves went over to sit on either side of the hall, as if to make sure they didn't escape. As soon as Sarah looked up, the creatures all began to murmur and point at her. The little Brownie cleared his throat.

"Case number 5555495," he squeaked. "Presented by the Cyclops, Glamrod, to the High Council. The Royal Family of the Fae shall preside. The Court recognizes His Excellency High King Darius, High Queen Presea, Crown Prince Renning, and Princess Zara."

Sarah's attention was directed to the four people in thrones. So these were the Royal Family. They were all . . . so beautiful. Fair haired and pale skinned, they each had a certain beauty to them that made them their own kind of gorgeous. The King was dressed in layers of fur and precious stones which accented his strong, bearded face and bright eyes. Eyes, Sarah noticed, that were looking right at her.

"This female . . ." he breathed. "It cannot be. A human in the Underground?"

The whisperings and murmurings grew ever louder at this.

"No human has shown its face in the Underground for many ages," said the Prince. He was (there was no other way to describe it) prettier than his father. His blonde hair was long and flowed down his back, falling over one eye. He was dressed in crimson and gold and was staring hard at Sarah with distrust in his eyes.

"This little creature brought her here," said Glamrod, the Cyclops, and nudging Hoggle with his toe.

"A dwarf bring a human here?" asked another dwarf that was sitting on the benches. Sarah noticed that a lot of them looked a bit different than Hoggle. They all had long, full beards and eyebrows much bushier than Hoggle's, so much so that they seemed to obscure their eyes so all that could be seen where their overlarge noses. "How could that be possible? We haven't that kind of power. And we are unfamiliar with this kin of ours. What be your name?"

"H-H-H-Hoggle," whimpered Hoggle.

"He's is from," Glamrod stared pointedly at the Crown Prince with his large eye. "Labyrinthine territory."

Several creatures gasped and the whispering grew even louder and faster. Prince Renning's eyes widened, the High King sat up straighter in his throne, the Queen and the Princess exchanged strange looks.

"Jareth," said Prince Renning, looking downward and sneering. "Well, I wouldn't have put it past him to teach his subjects how to deliberately break laws of the Underground. How dare he? Well, he's not the one on trial at the moment, this dwarf is. Citizens of the Dwarf Kingdom, do you claim any responsibility for this dwarf or wish to speak in his defense?"

"He is of the Labyrinth Kingdom," said the Dwarf King. "He is Jareth's to defend and not ours."

"Very well," said the Prince. "Dwarf, you bring an Abovegrounder here illegally and therefore condemn yourself to the severe punishment of immediate execution."

"NO!" Sarah cried. "Please, your Majesties, don't hurt him! I was going to die if he hadn't . . ."

"This is not your place to speak, young she-human," said the High King. "You must be still."

Sarah closed her mouth at once. There had been no hostility in the High King's voice. On the contrary, he'd sounded patient and gentle, but there was no doubt that his commands were to be obeyed.

"The Condemned Hoggle," said Prince Renning. "You are hereby to be executed immediately. This," he looked over at Sarah, "she-human is to have her mind wiped clean of everything she knows about the Underground and returned to her home world at the exact time and place of her arrival. Does anybody wish to speak on behalf of these two?"

Sarah looked around in a panic. Nobody was making a sound now. Nobody was going to stand up for them. Nobody would help them. Hoggle was going to be killed and she would be sent back right in the middle of that plane crash and die alongside her family. There was nothing that could be done. No help to be had. They were both going to die very, very soon.

"In that case," said Prince Renning. "I hereby . . ."

"Hold! I speak."

There was a collective gasp from around the court. Prince Renning stood up from his throne, looking almost outraged. The Queen and Princess both looked astonished. The High King let out a small breath as he stared at someone just behind Sarah and Hoggle. The other creatures of the court all seemed to have different reactions. Some looked happy to see the newcomer (some even waved) while others looked frightened. Sarah allowed herself to turn around and see just who it was, but she already knew. She'd known since she'd first heard his voice . . .

"The Court recognizes Jareth, King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth," said the Brownie with the scroll.

Sarah barely had time to turn around before the Goblin King himself walked past her and into the center of the courtroom, his eyes on the Royal Family. He hadn't changed at all in these past thirteen years. His hair was still wild and blonde, his eyes still mismatched and his handsome face was currently full of a deep cunning as he smiled up at the Crown Prince.

"You!" Renning cried, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

Jareth shook his head and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Tut, tut, Renning, I'm disappointed. To think you'd actually try a creature or creatures alike without their ruler in attendance."

"The sentence has already been announced," said Prince Renning. "You're too late, Jareth. The dwarf and the human shall meet their fate as we have set it. Now be gone!"

"Ah," said Jareth, now wagging his finger at the prince. "But their fate wasn't your decision to make. It was mine."

"It's not . . ." Renning cried, but the High King spoke again, interrupting them.

"Settle down," he said. "Renning, take your seat. Jareth, it is your right to present a defense for this dwarf, but the human . . ."

"I understand the difficult situation that this is, Your Excellency," said Jareth, inclining slightly toward the High King. "But this case requires my utmost attention, as you well know. It was our agreement that the creatures and everything else that resides within the Labyrinth be under my jurisdiction, not the jurisdiction of the Council."

"Yes, I remember our terms," said the High King. "So, you wish to try the dwarf under your own laws, is that it?"

"That is what is in accordance to our arrangements, Your Excellency, that is all," said Jareth. "This creature has been in my employ for many years and, up until a certain point in his career, has proved himself to be somewhat trustworthy."

"I see," said the High King. "But the human female . . .?"

"You have my every assurance, Your Excellency, that the matter shall be dealt with accordingly," said Jareth, inclining toward the High King again. "The fates of this dwarf and this human shall be decided instantaneously upon our return to the Labyrinth. Have you any further objections, Your Excellency?"

Sarah could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile hidden in the High King's beard as he looked down at Jareth. "Fine, then, you have my trust on this matter, Jareth. Dwarf King Altessa, do you have anything more to say on behalf of this kinsman of yours?"

"He is under the Goblin King's power, not mine," said the Dwarf King. "Do with him what you will, Jareth of the Labyrinth."

"Thank you, Altessa," said Jareth, inclining his head to the Dwarf King and grinning slyly at him.

The Crown Prince, however, didn't seem as content as everyone else. He stood from his throne again and turned furiously to his father. "Father! I must protest to this! A human presence in the Underground is a matter of the utmost seriousness! It is a case for the Council, not him!" he pointed down at Jareth. "You cannot let him take charge over everything he wants! Think of . . ."

"I have thought of everything that I should on this matter, my son," said the High King. "Jareth's case in the fates of these two creatures is sound and in accordance to the laws of this land. I see no reason to argue the point further. Now, please, resume your seat, Renning."

Renning looked furious. He practically threw himself back into his seat, seething and looking mutinous. He reminded Sarah forcibly of when Toby would throw tantrums and sit on the ground to seethe.

"Very good," said the Brownie that was overseeing the court. "With that matter settled, court is adjourned for today." And with that, he banged his gravel onto the slate beside him with a loud BANG!


	5. Somewhere I Belong

**Ying-Fa: Thanks for the reviews everyone! Okay, here's the next chapter.**

At once, everyone in the courtroom started to get up and out of their seats. Sarah wobbled where she stood, unstable on her injured leg. But before she could fall to the ground, someone grabbed her upper arm and held her steady. Sarah looked around and saw Jareth was holding her, his face quite without expression.

"You two," he said to her and Hoggle. "Come. We're leaving."

Hoggle nodded and followed as Jareth lead Sarah out the doors they had come, still keeping a tight grip on her arm. The two wolves, Romulus and Remus, growled once they saw Sarah approaching again. Jareth flicked his wrist and two crystals appeared in his palm. He threw the crystals at the wolves and they instantly turned themselves into a slab of meat and a small cake. The animals made immediately for the treats and allowed the three of them to pass.

They entered the splendid halls just as the rest of the creatures of the Underground were piling in. Many of them made positive gestures in Jareth's direction and a few even cried "Good day, Goblin King!" Jareth acknowledged each one of them with a nod and a grin, but kept his grip on Sarah's arm firm. They stopped only when Crown Prince Renning, the Cyclops that had brought them, and two Minotaurs appeared and blocked their path.

"I trust you'll see to that dwarf's execution on your own time then," said Renning, his sky blue eyes narrowed in dislike. "And that human will go back to the depths of the Aboveground from whence she came, am I correct?"

"All in good time, Renning," said Jareth. "As I told His Excellency, I shall administer their fates accordingly."

"You think you can do whatever it is you please without the slightest effect on you or the rest of us, don't you?" Renning hissed his eyes now spitting hate. "Just because you have won _my father's_ favoritism, doesn't mean you have the same approval from the rest of us."

Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't dare assume the High King himself would allow something as inconspicuous as favoritism to cloud his judgment. Indeed, the very fact that he would have favorites of any kind is simply absurd. The singling out of people based on likeability is a shallow form of judgment and it would most certainly not be practiced by one of his stature . . . or someone who would one day take his place."

Renning's face flushed pink with anger, but it seemed he didn't dare start a scene in front of all these other creatures and fellow rulers. "Come, Glamrod," he said. "We're leaving!" The Cyclops turned to follow, but his bulbous eye watched Sarah and Hoggle.

"Lucky devils," he said. "Don't count on the Labyrinth King to save you every time. I've got my eye on you both."

"Shouldn't you be following your master?" snapped Jareth, glaring angrily at the Cyclops, looking disdainful. The one-eyed monster left, and Jareth let the two of them outside, the large front doors, where the two golems stood guarding. In front of them, were a large contraption Sarah couldn't recognize, and a small huddle of Goblins.

"Your Majesty," said one goblin in the front, which was wearing an official-looking coat. "We apologize. We didn't know you were coming to court today. We wouldn't have left without you normally but . . ."

"It's alright, Phograss," said Jareth. "My decision to come was short notice. I'll be heading back at once. Wrap up the rest of the affairs here and then report back to the Labyrinth this evening."

"Yes, sir," said the goblin named Phograss, and he and the rest hurried along back inside the castle.

Sarah's attention was then turned to the strange contraption before them. It looked rather like a spider-shaped carriage, with many legs instead of wheels.

"It's called a palanquin," Hoggle muttered to her. "We're supposed to get in the back."

"Oh, okay," said Sarah, seeing a small, covered cart attatched to the back of the palanquin. Jareth let go of her arm at last and climbed into the seat at the front and she and Hoggle slipped into the back and closed the door behind them.

When Sarah felt the ground start to move beneath them, Hoggle let out a loud sigh of relief and flopped back in his seat. "Man! I thought we'd had it! Mind you, it's not over yet. Once Jareth decides what to do with us, then it'll be over . . . one way or another."

"When it comes to facing the unknown or certain death, I'll take the unknown," said Sarah, leaning back into the seat as well. "I never thought I'd be glad to see the Goblin King again, but I must admit his timing is uncanny!" She looked around and saw several items in the carriage with them. A platter full of food, a large pitcher of water, a teapot with a smoking spout, and what appeared to be healing salve and bandages. "And he's well prepared," she added, impressed.

"Oh, these things are always equipped to fit the needs of the people inside," said Hoggle, reaching over and taking the bandages. "Right, let's take care of that leg of yours."

Sarah rolled up her pant leg to reveal the deep puncture wounds that the wolf had left behind. They were still oozing blood and it hurt a lot with every bump of the carriage. Sarah gingerly applied the salve (wincing and hissing in pain as the ointment stung her) and Hoggle wrapped the bandages snuggly. Then, now that the pain in her leg was throbbing away and they were out of danger, Sarah headed right for the plate of food. There were fruits and vegetables that she'd never seen before, but Sarah tried a little of everything.

"Oh, good," said Hoggle, looking into the teapot. "It's Elvenroot tea. Here, I'll pour ya some."

"Thanks," said Sarah, taking a bite out of a strange, wire-like plant. It tasted sweet, rather like a watermelon. "The foods here look strange, but at least they taste good."

"Well, it won't be for too long," said Hoggle, pouring her tea. "Once we get back to the Labyrinth, Jareth will probably send you home and then . . ."

"No!" Sarah gasped.

"No?" Hoggle said, looking startled.

"No," Sarah repeated. "I'm not going back to the Aboveground. I can't. I don't want to."

"Jareth's better about things like this than the Council," said Hoggle. "He'll send you back after all that . . . stuff happened. He's not going to send you back into the crash, like . . ."

"I don't care about that," said Sarah. "I'm not going back there. I'm staying here."

"You can't be serious," said Hoggle. "Why would ya wanna stay here?"

"You don't understand," Sarah said, heavily. "My family is dead! They're all dead. I don't have anything to go back to!"

"What are you talking about? Ya gotta have something . . ."

"Yeah," said Sarah. "A meaningless job, all my family dead, a boyfriend who I'm just going to hurt in the end, a whole world of people asking me how on earth I survived a plane crash that killed everyone else, that sure is a lot of really good reasons to go back."

"Sarah . . ."

"At least here I can start over," said Sarah. "I can make a life for myself here, can't I?"

Hoggle sighed and slumped back into his seat. "There's no talking sense into ya, is there? Ah, well. Never mind, then."

"What?" Sarah asked, curious about Hoggle's attitude. "Is there some reason why I shouldn't stay?"

"Well, humans don't generally live down here," said Hoggle. "In a way, they can't. There's too much magic in the air. Humans and other non-magical creatures deal with it strangely. You saw all them court people goggling at ya. I'll bet some of them have never seen a human in, sheesh, over a thousand years."

"That . . . is a very long time," said Sarah, startled.

"Yup," said Hoggle. "No wonder they didn't know what to do with ya. Ya see the Fae, that's Jareth's kind, they've got superiority issues. They don't want no humans coming in to challenge that, I guess."

"I'm not going to challenge anything," said Sarah. "It's not like my being here is gonna change anything."

"That may not be very accurate," Hoggle mumbled. "Fae . . . don't take to change very well."

"Well it sounds like they need to grow up," said Sarah, dismissively. Hoggle looked away, his expression reading that he wanted to say more on the matter, but didn't dare to.

"By the way," said Sarah. "Why wasn't the Goblin King already at the court when we were there?"

"He normally doesn't go to court," said Hoggle. "He doesn't like it very much and there are . . . well, let's just say there are some problems with him and the Royal Family."

Sarah suddenly remembered Renning's furious face as Jareth stole the right to Sarah and Hoggle's lives. "I know what you mean. Why is that anyway?"

"I have no idea," said Hoggle. "I don't meddle in Jareth's personal life for my own safety. In any case, he usually sends Phograss and Snodgrass to go to the courts in his stead. They're a few of the only goblins with a head on their shoulders that actually works."

Throughout the remainder of the carriage ride, Sarah and Hoggle discussed the court, the other kingdoms, and all the other questions that had popped into Sarah's mind during their trial. The palanquin ride was surprisingly smooth and the tray of food kept refilling itself so that Sarah had eaten her fill long before the carriage finally came to a halt that evening. The door to the carriage opened, and several goblin guards with Nipper Sticks were standing out to meet them.

"This way," one said, gesturing them to follow him. Sarah and Hoggle climbed out of the cart and Sarah looked around. She recognized where she was instantly. It was the Gobin City, and they were parked right outside the doors to Jareth's castle. Jareth himself had already climbed out of the front of the palanquin and was heading for the doors, not looking back at Sarah or Hoggle.

"You go inside," said the goblin guard, and the little creature on the Nipper Stick snapped pointedly at them. "The King shall decide what to do with yas."

They went into the castle, Sarah's mind brimming with déjà vu as she passed the stone walls and metal chandeliers with dripping columns of wax. Jareth walked briskly passed the crowd of goblins that were littered in the throne room. They were talking and squawking, and chasing chickens and whatnot that goblins do. Jareth turned around and sat down in his strange throne and his eyes swept over Sarah and Hoggle for just a second before they lowered to the ground again.

"Take Hogglet to my study," he said. "There you'll wait until I get a chance to properly decide what is to be done about you."

"Right boss!" said the goblins and they escorted Hoggle out of the room. Sarah watched him go, feeling nervous. What if Jareth really planned on killing him too? She wouldn't allow that. She wouldn't stand for it.

"Please," she said, looking over at Jareth. "He was just trying to help me. He didn't . . ."

"I've nothing more to say to you, Sarah," said Jareth, coldly. "You are to be sent back to the Aboveground as soon as possible. You'll stay in a guest chambers here in the castle until then."

"No," Sarah snapped.

The goblins around her all gasped collectively, gaping up at her in shock. Clearly, nobody had dared stand up to Jareth like that before. Well, Sarah thought, she'd stood up to him once, she'd do it again. Jareth, however, remained expressionless all except for the slight ticking of a muscle in his jaw.

"No?" he said. "No? No, tra la la?"

"I . . . I can't go back," said Sarah. It was so awkward talking to _him_ about such a painful memory. "I can't go back to the Aboveground. Hoggle saved my life by bringing me here."

"Is that so?" said Jareth, still not looking at her. "Well, I assure you the danger has since passed. Should I send you back right this moment, whatever danger you were in at the time would now be quite over. I do not plan to send you back into danger, as the Council did."

"No, I don't want to be sent back at all," said Sarah, stubbornly. "I would like, with . . . well, if I had your permission . . . I could live somewhere here in the Underground. That's all I want."

Jareth made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, then stood up again, his mismatched eyes finally making contact with Sarah's green ones. His eyes were hard and cold and made Sarah feel like a small, misbehaving child.

"Sarah, just where do you figure that you are?" Jareth asked, harshly. "Despite what it may have appeared to be for you the last time you were here, this is not some playful land built on childish dreams. The Underground is a world as vast as yours, and just as capable of wickedness. It is unlike anything you have ever known. You live here, you will notice the horrors that exist here. Horrors that only exist as shadows and nightmares in the Aboveground. Did you think that coming to live here would rid you of all the problems you had in your old home? Don't be absurd. This place will make those worries seem like bliss. The Underground isn't a place for humans, Sarah. It's a twisted, bizarre place. A _cursed_ place."

Sarah stared up into Jareth's fierce, determined face. He seemed so powerful and frightening. It was just like before, so very long ago, when she first saw him appear in her parent's bedroom. But there was no mischief, no playfulness in his face. He was all business and seriousness now. The time to play . . . was now quite over.

Jareth raised his hand and lifted Sarah's chin so she could get an even closer look at his serious eyes. "Trust me, dear Sarah, that I am doing you an immense favor in sending you home. You'll thank me, I'm sure. Now, for once in your life, do as you're told and let them see you to your room. The method for sending you back now . . . is not available to me as of now."

"Wh-why not?" Sarah asked, finally finding her voice.

"I've no need to explain," said Jareth. "Now go. The chambers in the North Wing should be sufficient," he added to the guards standing next to her.

"Right boss," said the goblin. "Let's go, pretty lady. To your room."

Sarah finally managed to look away from Jareth's face and let the goblins take her away. But before she could really leave the throne room, she turned back to Jareth.

"We both know you can't make me do something I don't want to do," she snapped. "That was made clear thirteen years ago, wasn't it?"

Jareth's eyes darkened dangerously. Sarah tried not to notice or let it intimidate her. She went on.

"I'll gladly accept your hospitality for now but I will not, _will not_, go back to the Aboveground. I'm going to stay here and you can't stop me." Sarah turned around and followed the goblins out. Jareth watched her go, his face twisted in anger and discomfort.

"Trust me, dearest Sarah, I won't have to," he murmured.


	6. Can't Take It In

**Ying-Fa: So . . . hard . . . too find time . . . to write. So very sorry . . . for the wait. Please . . . be gentle in your reviews.**

**Nagini-chan: Are you overtired by any chance?**

**Ying-Fa:(sobbing) I AM!**

**Day 4**

Sarah awoke the next day and immediately shed a few silent tears into the downy pillows she'd been resting on. Her dreams had been filled with happy memories of her family and when she awoke, the shock of their loss had filled her once again. But after the tears were dry, she began dwelling on her current circumstances. She couldn't afford to think about her family for long. For one thing, they wouldn't want her to be forever miserable. They would want her to be happy and move on with her life. For another thing, she didn't dare want to be caught looking like a weeping little damsel in front of the Goblin King.

After their arrival at the castle and her argument with Jareth last night, the goblins had taken Sarah to her room. She'd barely looked around, she'd been so full of fury with Jareth's attitude, and had simply fallen onto the bed fully clothed and let her rage burn until she became exhausted and fell asleep. She now realized that talking back to Jareth hadn't been the best idea. He was, after all, an authority figure here and if she really was going to start living here from now on, making him angry certainly wouldn't play in her favor.

Sarah rolled onto her back and wiped her face dry of the remaining tear residue on her face. Despite the Goblin King's less than warm greetings when she arrived, he had provided her with a remarkably comfortable bed. It was just the right kind of soft that her bed in her apartment in the Aboveground had been, but with sheets made of fine silks and lovely feather pillows. It had been a wonderful change from that painful, make-shift bed that Hoggle had provided her in his house and even Sarah had to admit that it was nice to be able to stand up completely without fear of bumping her head on the ceiling.

The sun was streaming into her room weakly, so it must be shortly after dawn. Sliding a little reluctantly out of the bed, Sarah allowed herself to take a long, good look at the room she was in. It was decorated in shades of red and purple, mature and elegant at the same time. Large, polished wooden furniture was placed around in perfect proportion. There was a wardrobe, a rocking chair next to a hearth, a chest of drawers, bedside table on which stood an unlit candle, a beautiful full-length mirror, and another door that Sarah wasn't sure where it lead. Deciding to test her luck, she stood up from her bed. Her leg injury from the other day seemed to have completely vanished. She unraveled the bandages to find her skin completely restored and unscarred. She then went over to the other door and looked inside.

What lay beyond made Sarah let out a delighted gasp. It was a bathroom, and easily the most splendid she'd ever seen. The stone walls were gleaming and so shiny Sarah could see her own reflection in them. There was a massive, white marble tub and a large pile of fluffy towels and the whole room was lit by the candles burning merrily in the chandelier overhead. Eager to try it out, Sarah inspected the tub but couldn't find any taps or anything like that. But the moment her hand touched the marble, the tub was immediately filled with steamy water. One whiff told her that it was full of the lilac bath oil that she loved. Perhaps the bath was magically built to mirror one's particular tastes for a bath. Sarah undressed and slid into the bath water. It was absolute perfection. There was just the right amount of oil, just the perfect temperature, just as she liked it.

Sarah soaked a long, long time in the bath. It was the most relaxed she'd been since she got here. After a night resting on silk sheets and now a luxurious bath, she felt like she had waltzed right into a dream. How could the Goblin King possibly expect her to go back to the Aboveground when she had this?

_Well_, she reminded herself. _I won't be staying in the castle, I'll need to get a place of my own and start afresh. I don't think Jareth wants me here anyway. Truth be told, I don't really wanna stay much longer than I have to either. I'd better enjoy the castle treatment for as long as I can._

After finally removing herself from the tub, Sarah wrapped a towel around her body and watched the water drain magically from the tub. Smiling, she went back into her room and inspected the wardrobe, looking for something to wear. Sarah's jaw dropped as she examined the contents of the wardrobe. It was full of beautiful dresses and gowns, featuring a wide variety of colors and fabrics and lavish designs. They all varied nicely in fanciness and none of them were too frilly or puffy. Perhaps the wardrobe, like the tub, mirrored the likes of the person who used it.

Flipping through the outfits, she found a semi-casual looking green dress with gold trim that hung suggestively off the shoulders. After deciding that this was the one she liked best, she slipped in on and examined herself in the mirror. It fit perfectly and Sarah couldn't resist twirling a little in the mirror to make the skirt sway.

As the morning wore on, Sarah inspected the rest of what was in the room and found several unfamiliar tools which she tested carefully and found that they were beauty supplies. There was one comb-like devise that dried her hair completely as she ran it through. There was a thin rod that, when it touched her now-dry hair, sent it spiraling into perfect curls and another, almost identical rod that returned the curls to perfect straightness. A tiny brush that applied a perfect coat of make-up was also found as well as a small box that looked rather like a pencil-sharpener that, upon inserting her finger, cleaned and polished her nails.

Sarah had just finished having fun with the tools when there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said, wondering who it could be. The door opened and a small goblin came into the room, bearing a tray of food.

"Smelly day to you!" said the goblin, setting the tray down on the bed, which had miraculously made itself while she was in the bath. "The King ordered me to bring you some food."

"Well, wasn't that nice of him," said Sarah, thinking about Jareth and huffing angrily. "But, I guess it is time for breakfast."

"That it is," said the goblin. "Breaking things is always a wonderful treat, but there is nothing more important that breaking fast, which is why we eat breakfast."

"I'll . . . take your word for it," said Sarah, looking down at the tray. It was full of the same fruits as Jareth had provided during the trip back to the Labyrinth as well as a teapot full of Elvenroot tea. Sarah let out a little sigh.

"Is it not pleasing?" said the goblin, looking concerned.

"Oh, no that's not it," said Sarah. "Well . . . I was just . . . I had all of these things yesterday and I . . . well, I like a little variety."

"Variety?" said the goblin. "Why didn't you say so? Variety is my middle name!"

"Oh, really?" said Sarah.

"Yes indeed," said the goblin. "Strootle Variety Mangus Moosestafa, goblin chef of the castle, at your service."

"I didn't know goblins could cook," said Sarah.

"Well, most don't madam and for good reason," said Strootle. "But I'm no ordinary goblin, not I am not! I'm half-goblin, half-elf. My elfish mother taught me some minor magic and how to cook. My goblin papa taught me all the ways of the goblin, so nobody really knows am a half-an-half. His Majesty seemed to figure it out and once he took the throne he seemed to think that, of everyone else in the Labyrinth, I'd be less inclined to poison anybody, so he took me on."

"I see," said Sarah. "That's a nice little story, Strootle."

"Thank you, madam," said the goblin chef, beaming. "So, what do you require for your fast-breaking?"

"Hm," Sarah lowered her eyes to the floor, thinking hard. "Do you know how to make biscuits and gravy? It's been so long since I've been able to have that."

"Bess-kits and gravel?" said Strootle. "Why didn't you say so!? No problem!" The little goblin rolled up his sleeves and took the tray. "I'll have it ready for you in no time at all! Just wait here I'll be back in a jiffy with your food."

"Um," Sarah wasn't entirely sure he'd understood her request, but before she could say anything, he'd left the room. Feeling uneasy, Sarah waited for the goblin to return and continued to examine her room. She wondered if there was any kinds of books she could read, since she was feeling a little bored. But the drawers were filled with more clothes, slips and stockings and nightgowns that she would have to try out some other time.

After a minute, she noticed a large box that looked like a miniature version of the wardrobe standing on top of one of the drawer chests. Curiosity striking once again, Sarah pulled the doors open just a bit and found her jaw dropping open yet again.

It was a jewelry chest. A large assortment of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings sparkled with some of the most exquisite and bizarre stones she'd ever seen. They all sparkled and shimmered up at her and she was suddenly possessed to put something on. She found a pendent with a green stone that matched her dress and slipped that around her neck, as well as a pair of black-stoned earrings, and ring with stone that had been clear, but once she put it on the stone turned green as well.

There was a knock on the door and Strootle was back. He held up the tray again, and Sarah looked inside, feeling nervous. But, to her immense relief, it was just as she asked for. Two fluffy buttermilk biscuits were slathered in a mass of sausage gravy with a glass of unrecognizable blue juice and some sparkling silverware.

"It looks great," said Sarah, taking a sip of the juice first. It tasted just like orange juice.

"I live to serve the pretty guest of his Majesty," said Strootle, bowing proudly.

"Please, my name is Sarah," Sarah told him. "Just call me by my name, okay?"

"Certainly, Miss Sarah, certainly," said Strootle.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

By noon, Sarah was done with being in her room and set out to explore the castle. All of the goblins seemed to be out in the city, leaving the castle quiet and empty. Sarah walked down the stone halls, trying to get a hang of the place, but it was very difficult. The key to the entire hall seemed to be the Escher room, where Sarah had faced Jareth the last time she was here. Mastering the twisted and confusing stairways was very difficult and Sarah got the feeling that she was trying to solve the Labyrinth all over again.

Finally, after going up her fifteenth flight of stairs, she leaned up against the wall, trying to catch her breath. Why did she have to wear a dress? Climbing up all these stairs would be much easier in pants or jeans. She looked around the hall that she'd just entered and could see a doorway that looked promising. Deciding to take a risk, she went over and looked inside. Once again, she was delighted by what she found. It was a library full of books. Shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls and a few wide-backed armchairs that were perfect for reading were sitting next a large fireplace. Sarah hurried over to the shelves, excited.

But her excitement was short-lived. It appeared that all of the books were written in a language that she didn't understand. She pulled volume after volume off the shelves, but wasn't able to find any of them that were written in English. Unwilling to give up, she moved deeper into the library hoping to come across something helpful. But as she reached the back of one corner did she see something that made her heart jump out of her chest.

Jareth was sitting at a desk laden with heavy, important looking books. But he was asleep. One arm was curled under his head, his eyes closed and he was breathing quietly and evenly. Sarah stared at the scene before her, feeling quite dazed. Jareth had never really come across as the kind of person who could fall asleep just anywhere. She moved in a little closer, hoping she didn't wake him up. He just looked so . . . vulnerable. He seemed so at peace but Sarah could make out a slight crease in his brow that gave him a slightly worried look. Also, she saw dark rings under his eyes that she'd missed yesterday when they'd argued. He looked so tired. Was he alright?

Sarah stepped a little closer, but then felt something under her foot that made her jump. Remaining silent so as to not wake Jareth, she controlled her momentary panic and looked down. She'd almost stepped on a pair of glasses that were laying on the ground right below Jareth's dangling arm. Sarah picked them up and examined them. Jareth needed glasses? Unable to resist, she raised them up to her own eyes and peered through them.

There didn't seem to be any difference. Her sight remained the same with or without the glasses. But as she slipped them onto her nose and looked down at Jareth's sleeping form did she realize what was special about them. The very large book Jareth was using as a pillow had been full of markings in a strange language that she didn't recognize. But as she put them on, she realized she could read the markings as clearly as if they were written in English. Fascinated, Sarah took a closer look at the book and read:

_The gift of reordering time is granted to those in the Underground who achieve leadership over any domain. The leader, be it King or any title of noble stature, can reorganize the order of hours, minutes, and seconds from within their domain. However, this power requires an immense deal of magical power behind it. It is not a talent to be widely practiced and none should attempt to reorder time in a domain that does not belong to them. This could cause . . ._ the rest of the page was hidden under Jareth's arm and his wild hair.

Still wearing the glasses, she read the titles of the other volumes Jareth appeared to have been poring over before he fell asleep. There was _A Collection of Continuum exploits, The Holy Workings of the Deities, Inner Workings of the Two Worlds, _and_ The Beginning of the End: the Curse of the Underground_. Most of these had been tossed unceremoniously aside by Jareth; apparently unable to find whatever it was he was looking for in them. Sarah couldn't make head nor tail of the titles and what their contents would hold for Jareth. Judging by the one he was sleeping on, it seemed that he was trying to learn more about reordering time. But, couldn't he already do that? Hadn't he told her, long ago, that he had done it while she was in the Labyrinth? Hadn't he said he'd done it for her?

Then there was the one that spoke of a curse in the Underground. That rang a bell too. It was last night, when Jareth had told her that the Underground was a cursed place. She hadn't been entirely sure if he was telling the truth or just trying to scare her. Ultimately, Sarah decided that she didn't want to know. Turning around quietly and taking the glasses with her, and began to examine the remaining books. If she was going to stay here, she might as well be able to actually read some of these tempting books.

Sarah found a stack of promising-looking books and found a seat far away from the sleeping king on the other side of the room and began to read. The books were mostly about the types of creatures and Sarah noticed several of them talked about creatures that she'd met in the Labyrinth and some she didn't.

_Goblins are amongst the lowest ranking of the magical beings that roam this world. Their skills in power extend only to the gifts of speech, semi-coherent thought, and somewhat useful skills in hiding and sneaking. They take pleasures in the grotesque and humorous and are quite without common sense and logic._

"Well, that's a little harsh," Sarah murmured, turning the page of her book.

_The Yelkies, more commonly known as the Fox-clan, are amongst the most chivalrous of all the Underground creatures. These creatures live by the sword and live by codes of honor and fellowship. Amongst the Fox-clan, their most prized talent is their sense of smell. Some Yelkies possess the power of smell so greatly that they can detect an oncoming threat from anywhere in a seventy-five foot radius. They take pride in fighting duels for such things as love, honor, and friendship._

"That explains a lot," said Sarah, grinning as she remembered her friend, Sir Didymus. She hadn't seen him yet since she got back. Perhaps she'd have time to go look for him a little later.

_Of all the creatures that fall under the category of 'monster' none are more benign yet powerful as that of the Stone-Callers. Though they are provided with horns, teeth and claws, Stone-Callers rarely use them in hunting or, occasionally, combat. Using a unique howl known only to their kind, they can manipulate any nearby rock, stone, or various other fragments of earth to do their bidding. Stone-Callers, though gentle by nature, has sometimes been known to cause grievous damage to towns and villages unlucky enough to be nearby during these rock-manipulation practices. This has lead to various cases in which those who dwell in the destroyed villages take arms against the Stone-Callers. This has lead to a severe decrease in their numbers and resulting in the creature's efforts to take refuge in . . ._

"I do beg your pardon, but I do believe those are mine."

Sarah dropped her book and cried out in surprise. Jareth, now very much awake, was looking down at her from behind her armchair and giving her a very cross look.

"Oh," said Sarah, dazed at his abrupt return. "I didn't . . . I mean, well I just . . . sorry," she finished lamely, taking off the glasses and making to hand them back to him.

Jareth raised his eyebrow at her. "Never so much as a 'please', Sarah? I'm disappointed in you. To think you'd resort to taking things without permission."

"Don't you even start," snapped Sarah. "Well, I couldn't read these books without them, the language doesn't make any sense to me. I just wanted to borrow them so I could read, that's all. Is borrowing things worth the death penalty here?"

"No," said Jareth, calmly. "You forget the majority of creatures that live here don't know anything of such manners as to ask someone prior to taking things."

Sarah huffed, hating his smug attitude. "Fine then, _Your Majesty_, could I _please _borrow those glasses so that I can read the books here."

Jareth didn't reply right away. He tapped his fingers on the back of the chair, seeming to enjoy making her wait for a reply. "I don't see why you're so keen to make yourself at home, Sarah. I told you before, I'm sending you back as soon as I can."

"Yeah, you've made that clear," said Sarah. "But I would just like it if I had something to do during however long I'm going to have to stay here until you do send me back. How about that?"

Jareth smiled at her cheek. "Fair enough," he said. "If it will keep you happy for the time being, you may hold on to them. I have a spare set anyway, so I won't need them."

Sarah felt a twinge of annoyance at the fact that he didn't even need them and he'd been planning on taking them from her, but thought it best to keep them to herself. "Why do you need them? You can read this language just fine, can't you?"

"Some of the older volumes use various codes and dialects that I'm less than familiar with," said Jareth, simply. "Using the Wisdom Lenses makes things much faster rather than trying to figure it out the ancient texts on ones own."

"I see," said Sarah. "Well, thank you for letting me use them. I'll just . . . take some of these to my room and I'll leave you be."

"See that you do," said Jareth.

Sarah gathered her books and the glasses and left the library. As she left, she could have sworn Jareth's mismatched eyes had swept carefully over her, taking in her dress, make-up, and jewelry with something that might have been approval.

That night, Sarah was flipping through her third book, but her mind still half on the Goblin King. He'd been less threatening than yesterday. She remembered his eyes sweeping over her, his peaceful face as he'd slept, and how he'd let her keep the glasses she'd found.

Strootle had come back in earlier and given her a fine dinner of spaghetti, rich tomato sauce, and garlic bread which she'd devoured gratefully. As she'd prepared herself for bed by slipping on a flowy, sleeveless nightdress, she wondered just why Jareth was so keen for her to return to the Aboveground. What was it that he was searching for in the books on his desk?

And why, _why_, had her chest fluttered so powerfully as she'd watched him sleeping soundly in the library, just as it had whenever she first met someone who would eventually become her boyfriend?


	7. Numb

**Ying-Fa: (sigh) I love reviews, I hate college math, I love finding time to write at last, I hate my slow computer. Just a little insight into my cranium. Please enjoy and leave me those reviews. This is where things start to get interesting!**

**Day 5**

Jareth sat in the window that faced the Labyrinth from his study in the West Tower. He was tapping a riding crop against his boot, thinking deeply over the past few days and the events that transpired.

"Well, Higgsley," he said, turning to the dwarf who was trembling on the floor. "I have to admit, of all of your failures, this one is perhaps the most colossal of them all."

"I'm sorry!" Hoggle said, for what had to have been the thousandth time, and it was doing him the same amount of good as the rest of the 999 times. "I told ya already, she snuck out while I was sleeping! There's no keeping her locked inside a house for thirteen days . . ."

"She was never meant to be here thirteen days," said Jareth, coldly. "She is to leave this place the moment I find the way. She cannot stay here, she cannot live here, and she cannot become a part of this world."

"Have ya tried tellin' her that?" Hoggle asked.

"And is that any business of yours whatsoever?" Jareth countered, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I . . . well . . . I," Hoggle stammered. "I was just sayin' . . ."

"I know what you were saying," snapped Jareth. "But the words that drove her from the Underground before still hold strong. She's right, on every count. I cannot make her do anything against her will. Against her . . . I remain powerless."

Hoggle gulped. "Y-Your Majesty, surely, if ya just explained the situation . . ."

"She'll figure that out on her own, if she continues to be so unbearably stubborn," said Jareth, angrily. "Humans cannot remain Underground by the laws written by the Deities themselves. The curse will claim her soon unless she heeds me."

"Um, begging your utmost pardon, Your Majesty," said Hoggle. "Didn't you, long ago, _want_ her to stay?"

"Ah," said Jareth, smartly. "But you said the key words yourself, Hogsmet. _Long ago_ that was my plan. Times, however, have quite changed."

"But what about the king and the rest of the Court?" said Hoggle, fearfully. "And it's _Hoggle!_"

Jareth lowered his gaze, realizing the true problem that Hoggle had thought up. "The High King knows the bindings of our contract," he said. "As long as the girl remains a part of the Labyrinth, then he cannot have say in her destiny. But there may be others, namely Renning, who may wish to stand in my way and make decisions for Sarah's future on their own."

"But they'll send her right back to where she was found," said Hoggle, frightened. "She'll die if they do that!"

"Which is why we thought up our deal," said Jareth. "The one I reminded you of when I came to your little hovel in disguise the very first day she was here. You were to keep Sarah hidden safely in your house, while I found a method for reordering time in the Aboveground and send her back to whatever time she pleased. Had you not let her out into the open and exposed her to scum like Renning, it would have succeeded without incident."

"I know," said Hoggle, sadly. "But it was that wretched old Hagwitch!"

"Hagwitch? That vile little spit who squanders around the Labyrinth's outer walls on Renning's orders?" said Jareth, thoughtfully. "Well, that must be taken care of quickly."

"H-How will you do that?" Hoggle asked.

"What do I do with all things that get on my nerves, Haggler," said Jareth, simply.

Hoggle gulped.

"Anyway," Jareth went on. "I need to make haste. Sarah will not part from the Underground easily, now that she'd made up her mind to stay."

"Is there a way?" Hoggle asked, curiously.

"If there is, I've yet to find it," said Jareth running a hand through his wild hair. "But as you know, I'm not the kind to give in so . . . do you hear something?"

Hoggle listened. He too could hear what Jareth was talking about. There was the sound of hurried footsteps coming closer and closer. Also a small voice that was saying something indiscernible. Three seconds later, Strootle the cook came bursting in, looking horrorstruck.

"YourHighnessYourHighnessYourHighnessYourHighnessYourHighnessYourHighnesYOURHIGHNESS!" Strootle cried, jumping up and down in front of Jareth in desperation. "YourHighnessshe'satwitchin'andacryin'andthere'ssomethinga-scarygoingonIcametoseeyouandIknownotwhattodotohelpherandshe'slookingbadandwhiteandsweatyand . . ."

"Stickle, shut up!" Jareth demanded. "What's going on? And for the love of all things good and evil _speak slowly!_"  
Strootle took several fast, wheezy breaths then broke into dry sobs. "Scared! I was scared! There was twitching and crying and screaming and yelling and sweating and paleness and I was scared!"

"What are you talking about?" said Jareth, now starting to feel uneasy. "Are you trying to say that someone is ill?"

Strootle nodded, his lip trembling.

"Who?" Jareth demanded. "Who is ill?!"

Strootle gulped and then stammered, "M-Miss S-S-Sarah."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

It was the strangest and most unpleasant sensations she'd ever experienced. She'd woken up to a gnawing, squirming feeling in her stomach. She'd twisted around in her bed, aching as the feelings increased but then she started feeling all sorts of things. Various feelings and sensations beings drawn to their fullest. One second she was burning hot, the next she was freezing to the bone. She was parched of thirst, but then she felt so full of water that she feared she'd drown. She was starving to death. She was so full she was going to explode. Wet, dry, heavy, light, every single feeling anyone had ever experienced was going through her in rapid succession.

The worst part of all this was that it never seemed to end. The feelings just kept going on and on, repeating themselves over again and pushing her body to its physical limits. She twitched and writhed and yelled as the various sensations took over again and again. She didn't know what to do with herself. She just wanted to black out, to fall back to sleep and just stop feeling . . .

The powerful sensations just went on and on and on, without end. She could barely see or hear anymore, she was so overwhelmed by these endless feelings. Somewhere, far away, she heard a door bang open and several voices saying things she couldn't comprehend. She wished they would just be quiet, it was hard to listen and feel at the same time. But she could make out some things being said. Just snippets of what was going on around her.

" . . . gonna do! What are we gonna do!? Why's she like that?"

"No. No! It's already started. How did this happen? You! What did you do? Did you keep to . . .?"

It was all so noisy. It was just too much to feel. She wished, prayed that she would just pass out already. She was tired, so very tired of feeling anymore. She just wanted to stop.

" . . . WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE HER THE FOOD I TOLD YOU TO!?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness! I'm sorry! But she said she wanted variety, so I . . ."

Through the chaos that was her consciousness, something else started happening. Her fingers and toes were starting to prickle, like they did when they were falling asleep. The sensation spread all through her, but the further up her body it moved, the less her body felt the endless tirade of various feelings. Her mind was extremely groggy, she could hear the voice from somewhere around her more clearly now. It sounded angry, beyond angry, and a little . . .

"GET OUT! BOTH OF YOU, OUT! IF YOU DON'T LEAVE NOW, I'LL SKIN YOU BOTH ALIVE!"

The door slammed. The next thing she could hear was that voice again. His voice. He was talking to her, his voice still sounded . . .

"Sarah! Sarah. Sarah, it'll be alright, I promise you. It won't last much longer, I promise. It won't last. Endure it for just a little longer, that's all."

Afraid. He sounded afraid. He sounded so afraid he couldn't stand it. The prickling sensation then consumed her entire body and she finally felt herself falling into deep, blissful darkness . . .

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Day 6**

Sarah woke up very slowly. She felt like she'd slept on a bed of rocks rather than silk sheets and a feather mattress. She pushed herself into a sitting position, sliding the straps of her nightgown back over her shoulder as they slid down. Peeling her eyes open, she found her room was filled with late afternoon sunlight and, considerably more surprising, was the Goblin King himself sitting on the windowsill, looking out into the day.

"Jareth," she cried softly, cautiously pulling the sheets up.

Jareth turned around to look at her. He looked tired and his face was drawn, but still so very alive and fearful. He reminded her of the very last time she'd seen him on her previous visit to the Labyrinth. At the very end, it that collapsing room, where he'd asked her to fear, love, and obey him.

"Ah," he said. "Decided to awaken, did you?"

"Y-yeah," said Sarah, slightly disorientated from her thoughts.

"And how are you feeling?" he asked, conversationally.

"I feel," Sarah started, but then she concentrated on that thought. How did she feel? To be completely honest, she felt just . . . "fine," she continued. "I'm just fine. I'm completely fine."

"I figured as much," said Jareth heavily, turning back to the window.

Sarah felt a stab of annoyance. "You don't have to sound so disappointed."

"I'm not disappointed," said Jareth, simply. "I'm just . . . at a loss for what is to be done next."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, sharply.

"You don't know at all what happened yesterday, do you?" Jareth countered, sliding off the windowsill and coming over to her.

"I . . . well, I . . . no," Sarah admitted. "What . . . was all that? What happened to me?"

In response, Jareth came over to her, took hold of her upper arm and pulled her out of bed. Sarah cried out in protest, being clad only in a flimsy silk nightgown, but Jareth didn't seem to care. His grip on her arm was very firm as he pulled her out of the bed and dragged her over to her mirror.

"Take a look, Sarah," he told her, bringing her right in front of the mirror.

"Jareth, what . . .?"

"Take . . . a . . . look," he repeated, staring hard at her.

Making a face at him, Sarah grudgingly turned and looked at herself in the mirror. At first she didn't know what he was trying to show her, but then she noticed something. Something that wasn't always there before. Her skin seemed fairer and cleaner, the permanent crease in her brow from copious hours of working in an office was all but gone. Her hair seemed fuller, shiner than it had been before as well. Her nails and cuticles were clean and shiny without the use of polish, the small clutter of moles on her arms had disappeared, and even her teeth seemed whiter and straighter than she remembered.

"Wh-what . . . what happened?" she asked, stunned.

"Think back," said Jareth. "Think back to the first time you were here. Do you remember what was said? Do you remember . . . my warning."

Sarah thought back to that day, years ago, when she first stepped into the Underground. Almost like she really had turned back the clock, she could see Jareth on that day, splendorous in gleaming armor and his billowing cape, smiling mysteriously and confidently at her.

_"You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother . . . becomes one of us . . . forever . . . . Such a pity."_

Her mind snapping back to the current day, Sarah turned around to face the present Jareth. He looked expressionless and waiting for her to ask the question that he knew was coming, the one for which he had the answer.

"What's . . . happening to me?" Sarah said.

"You're adapting," said Jareth, darkly. "You're becoming one of us."

"One," Sarah turned back to her reflection, examining her perfected features. "Of you? What does that mean?"

"Humans don't come to the Underground because this is a world of magic," Jareth said. "Humans cannot survive in a world full of magic for long. Once they cross the border just barely connecting our world to yours, they start to change. Over a period of time, they become a part of the Underground permanently."

"So, I . . ." Sarah's gaze kept going from the mirror to Jareth, a slight fear building inside her. "I'm turning . . . into . . . what am I turning into?"

"A Fae," said Jareth, his voice cold. "Like me. If a human does come here, their bodies adapt to the magic in the air around them so they can continue to live. However, it involves losing one's humanity. You forego being human and become another citizen of the Underground. Since Fae and humans are built roughly the same, that is what you're becoming."

"So," said Sarah. "I'm . . . not a human anymore?"

"Oh, so far you're still considered a human," said Jareth. "You have thirteen days, Sarah, before it is too late. After that period of time, you will become a Fae and live in the Underground forever. If, any time prior to that, you return to the Aboveground, the adaptation you've gone through already will negate itself and you will regain your lost humanity."

"But," said Sarah. "Before you said that if I didn't solve the Labyrinth in thirteen _hours_ then . . ."

"Your brother," Jareth interrupted. "Was an infant. They take less time to transform from human to Fae. There bodies are smaller, there's less to adapt. It takes longer for adults. Rather than hours, it takes days. You have used up almost half of your time here and I was told that you ate a good quantity of magically prepared food yesterday. It was consuming that much magic in so short a time is what caused the adaptation to accelerate, causing the sensations and pain you endured yesterday."

"So that was, like, growing pains?" said Sarah, flabbergasted. "And all because I ate food?"

"Food prepared by magic," Jareth corrected her. "If you had stuck to the natural foods of the land, the fruits that grow here, it would have spared you such an agonizing experience."

"Well, you never really bothered to explain that," said Sarah, bitterly.

"There was no need to explain," said Jareth, sharply. "I already told you, I'm sending you back to the Aboveground as soon as it is in my power to do so."

"And I've already told you that I'm not going back," said Sarah. "I don't want to go back. I can't go back."

"Sarah," groaned Jareth, raising a hand to his temple. "Nothing gets through to you, does it? Don't you understand what's happening to you from just being here? If you stay here _you will never be human again._ You can never return after you've become a Fae, either. There's no changing your mind, no take-backs. Once you're here, you're here _forever_."

"Why are you so keen to get rid of me?" Sarah asked, reproachfully.

"It isn't about being rid of you," Jareth growled, his eyes lowering to the floor. "It is because you don't know what you're asking. You don't know what it is like down here. You don't know the rules, the risks, the _cost_ of living in a world like this. If you must trust anything I say, trust me when I tell you that if you stay here you_ will regret_ it for the _rest of your life_, which will be a very, very, very, _very_ long time."

"But _why_," Sarah asked, exasperated. "_Why_ will I regret it? What is there to regret? I don't understand what you're talking about at all. If it is going to be so horrible for me to stay here, I wanna know why. So why won't you just _tell _me and stop trying to boss me around!"

Jareth looked just as exasperated as she was. There was a long pause in which they just stood there, not speaking to each other. Sarah stared hard at Jareth, but he did not look back. He was rubbing his eyes which made him look more tired than ever. Finally, he dropped his hand and looked up at her.

"I . . . cannot do this here," he sighed. "Sarah, I want you to meet me in the gardens outside the goblin city in a couple of hours. We can talk freely there and for as long as we like. Get dressed and have that blasted cook make you something. You should be able to eat magically prepared food now that your body has taken the time to accept it."

With that, he brushed past her and stormed out of the room, leaving Sarah alone and wondering . . .


	8. In Pieces

**Ying-Fa: At long last, the mystery of the curse is to be revealed! There is yet more to be learned, however. I beseech all you wonderful reviewers who have graced me with their fabulous reviews, continue to read my work and shower me with your reviews! Thanks to you all from the bottom of my heart and here's the next chapter.**

"Crown Prince Renning!"

Renning turned about to see his Cyclops servant, Glamrod, coming into the room. Renning was, at the time, practicing his swordplay. He quite excelled at the arts of war, far more that most, and he enjoyed the time he spent studying the ways of the sword. It was at times like that that he could think most clearly and control his emotions and school his mind.

"What is it?" said Renning, lowering his blade.

"My Prince," said Glamrod. "I have reason to believe that Jareth has failed to return the human to the Aboveground. He's hiding her in his castle, I believe."

"And how do you know this?" Renning asked.

"The source we discussed has confirmed it," said the Cyclops. "Shall we inform your father of Jareth's actions?"

"No," said Renning, returning to his practice. "My father will just take Jareth's side, as he always does. Jareth always manages to use that silver tongue of his to sway the odds in his favor. How I despise that man," he added coldly, with a thrust of his sword. "When the Solstice finally comes and I am crowned the next High King of the Underground, my first order will be to force that Goblin King to bow at my feet."

"Heh, heh," said Glamrod, nastily. "I agree, Your Highness. A little humility will do that Goblin Scum some good."

"But, as of yet, his title outclasses mine," said Renning, bitterly. "King trumps Prince, as always. But I'll show him. Once I get the crown of the Underground, I will make him pay for his lack of respect."

"So what shall be done about the human girl, sir?" asked Glamrod.

"She's of no concern to me," said Renning. "Filthy, disgusting rats that humans are do not deserve half a glance from me. That ugly little thing, just thinking of her makes my insides writhe with loathing."

"I agree, my Prince, I do agree," said Glamrod. "It's the humans' fault the Underground suffers as it does now."

"Indeed," said Renning. "Vile humans, it's all their fault. I will not allow them to stain our lands once again. If the human girl Jareth is sheltering stays here long enough, she'll adapt into a Fae. And then she'll suffer the same fate as the last fool to choose this way of life."

Glamrod chuckled darkly again. "Yeah, what a wonderful spectacle that was. Truth be told, I'd have thought after that happened, ol' Jareth would fight tooth and nail to keep any and all humans out of the Underground."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" said Renning. "I guess that just proves what I've been trying to say all along. That Jareth isn't as invincible or as wise as the rest of the Underground gives him credit for. I've always said it, yet nobody has listened. Once I finally receive my place as High King of the Underground, I will expose him for the nothing that he is . . . and banish him for eternity."

Outside Renning's room his sister, Princess Zara, stood listening to this conversation. Her long blonde hair flowed down her back with braided strands and shimmering gemstones glistening in it. She lifted her elegant skirt of sapphire blue and daintily left without a sound. She traveled down to her ownchambers, her elegant dress flowing elegantly around her feet. She opened the door to her chambers to find a group of her friends, all of whom where Fae ladies of the court, sitting around gossiping as they awaited their princess's return.

"Princess Zara," said a red haired beauty named Cadma. "Where have you been? We didn't dare start evening tea without you."

"Ladies, I've made a slight change in my plans," said Zara.

"Oh, what did you have in mind, princess?" asked a petit, curly-haired lady called Aimee.

"Gather your things, ladies," said Zara, smartly. "Tomorrow, I shall be visiting the Castle beyond the Goblin City."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sarah groomed and got dressed just as Jareth had instructed her, all the while her mind was full of thoughts of what he had told her. The longer she stayed in the Underground, the less human she'd become until she finally became inhuman, a Fae, a permanent citizen of the Underground. Strootle had come back in and had offered her a plate of cooked salmon and fried rice. Sarah had barely managed to keep anything down though. Her mind was too full of thoughts of what Jareth wanted to talk about.

When she could delay no more and her curiosity had driven her near to madness, Sarah left her rooms and found a very welcome guest waiting for her just outside her door.

"Sir Didymus!"

"My lady, how good it is to see you once again!"

The little fox knight, like everything else here, had barely changed since she'd seen him. He stood proud and stalwart as ever, his busy tail swishing behind him and his knightly jerkin as clean and regal as it was so long ago. Sarah bent down and hugged the little knight.

"What are you doing here?"

"His Majesty, the King, has asked me to escort you to the gardens, where he wishes that you join him this evening," Didymus stated proudly. "It is an honor for a lowly knight such as myself to be the escort of such a fair maiden as yourself and I vow to protect you with my very life."

"Just as I'd left you, Didymus," said Sarah with a slight sigh. "Alright then, lead the way."

"Very good, my lady," said Didymus and they set off through the castle, through the large front doors, and into the city.

"Didymus, where's Ludo?" Sarah asked, thinking of her third and largest friend she'd made during her last visit.

"Why, Sir Ludo is quite well, my lady," said Didymus. "He has been meandering the Labyrinth hedges, as he usually does. He's not quite welcome in the City anymore, after our quest last time. But he is well, I assure you. I would enjoy more frequent visits from my sworn brother, of course, but he seems to dislike the smell of my home. Funny, really, I can never figure out what it is that irks him so."

Sarah let out a small breath of laughter. Didymus still lived in the Bog of Eternal Stench then, as Hoggle had said. She remembered how very much Ludo had hated the smell of the Bog and could understand his not wanting to go back any time soon. Didymus lead her through the Goblin City, which seemed to be closing down as the late afternoon turned to evening. Several goblin shops were closing up and some goblin folks were returning to their homes and closing the doors and windows.

Didymus lead Sarah around to the large gates that separated the City from the massive Junkyard beyond it. But Didymus didn't take them through the gates but around toward the outer edges of the City. There was another wall, different from the one that surrounded the city. This one, rather than being made of sandy brick, was of polished stone. Didymus knocked on the wall three times with his staff and a door suddenly appeared and swung open for them. On the other side of the door was Jareth. He was dressed casually in a white poet's shirt and a black vest over those constricting breeches he seemed to like so much and a pair of pointed riding boots.

"Come Sarah," he said, tonelessly. "Didymus, leave us."

"Yes, Sire," said Sir Didymus. "Good luck, my lady," he added in a whisper to Sarah.

Sarah gulped and nodded to her friend as she set off with Jareth. She couldn't help but be impressed by these gardens. The lush greenery, the various exquisite flowers, and polished stone statues and benches reminded her almost vividly of the old park where she used to play as a child.

"Why did we have to talk here, by the way?" Sarah asked, not wanting to dwell in silence for too long.

"Because only the High King and myself are ever allowed in this particular place," said Jareth. "The enchantments around it are extremely strict and nobody without our permission are allowed in."

"I see," said Sarah. "So, what is it that we need to talk about here?"

"Sarah," said Jareth, heavily. "Have you noticed anything while you've been here?"

"No, not really," said Sarah, shrugging. "Everything seems the same as last time I was here."

"Exactly," said Jareth. "The Underground . . . cannot change. It has remained almost exactly the same for three thousand years."

"What?" said Sarah, surprised. "What do you mean it can't change?"

"I already told you," said Jareth. "Our world is cursed. It stays the same, unable to grow and flourish. We haven't had a drop of rain in the Underground in all this time, nor have we had a change in seasons. Everything must remain the same, eternally the same, as is our fate."

"Wh-why?" Sarah asked. "Why has this happened? Why are you . . . c-cursed?"

Jareth sighed and ran a hand into his hair, but continued to speak. "Were you aware, Sarah, that your world and mine were once one?"

"What?" said Sarah, startled. "But, that can't be, can it?"

"I assure you, it can," said Jareth. "It was a long time ago, prior to my birth, but there did, at one time, exist only one world rather than two. Those with magic and those without it coexisted together in one realm.

"But it wasn't a peaceful time. Those who possess magic saw themselves as superior to those without it. Those who lacked magic were discriminated against, singled out, and victimized. But no clash was more violent and terrible than that of humans and the Fae. They were the only two species of creature who possess knowledge beyond that of any other race."

"That sounds familiar," said Sarah. "That little creature, Hagwitch, said something about Fae having knowledge that no other creatures have. That everyone else lived off instinct."

"That's right," said Jareth. "Humans and Fae are the only creatures that have the knowledge of good and evil. We are among the only races that can make choices based upon such knowledge, giving us more responsibility than other races. But it was because of this that the discrimination between us has gotten so horrible."

"Why?" asked Sarah.

"The Fae felt that they were the only ones who deserved such power and responsibility," said Jareth. "They hated sharing it with a race they viewed as weak, stupid and little more than animals. Some of them, I think, wanted to punish the humans for something they couldn't control or help. But the humans, or even the Fae, never asked for such knowledge. It was given to us by the Deities, but since nobody can go against them the humans were the ones victimized."

"What are Deities?" Sarah asked, puzzled.

"They are guardian spirits that rule over all living things," Jareth explained. "For every species of creature, there is a Deity that protects it. In fact, it was the Deities that cursed the Underground and separated the worlds in two forevermore."

"The Deities cursed the Underground? Why? What happened?" Sarah asked.

"The Deities hated the endless conflict between magic and non-magic races," said Jareth. "It pained them to see the ones they guarded and watched over being abused and tormented by others for things they had no control over. The discrimination soon started to get out of control, so they took action.

"One night, the Deity of the humans came to the High King in a dream. The Deity warned him that this tirade of discrimination must stop or else the Deities would stop it for them. When the King awoke, he understood the warning and then tried to pass several laws to start bridging the gap between the two races. He made the hunting of humans forbidden and made punishments for harming humans much harsher than they used to be. It seemed to work for a time, but he couldn't stop everything. The Fae liked the way things were. Some didn't want to stop punishing the humans. The hate was too strong. Then, the King was given a test by the Deities. It was a test that would determine the fate of his kingdom and all who lived there."

"What kind of test?" Sarah asked as the two of them sat down on one of the stone benches around the garden.

"Some time after the King's efforts to mend the ways of the Fae took place, an incident happened. A small Fae child had left his home to play and did not return. There was a search for the child, but nobody could find him. Since the child was of noble decent, the search attained a lot of attention from the Fae community. They needed that child found. Eventually, the search brought them to a small hut where a lone human man lived. The Fae where instantly convinced that he had something to do with the child's disappearance. The rumors spread and before long, tales of kidnap and murder surrounded the case and the man was brought before the Court.

"The King listened to the case, but it was difficult to judge. There was no evidence that the human had harmed the child, but also no evidence that he hadn't done anything either. The entire Fae population roared for the man's execution. They'd even brought an executioner into the courtroom to listen for the verdict. Meanwhile the human stared up at the Royal Family and insisted he was innocent, that he'd never harmed the child, and begged for mercy. However, his screams for justice were drowned by the tirade of Fae demanding he be executed. It all came down to what the King decided."

"Don't tell me," gasped Sarah. "He didn't . . . he had that man killed, didn't he!?"

"Yes," said Jareth, shaking his head slightly. "To thunderous applause Fae population, the man was murdered right before the eyes of everyone in the Court. But that wasn't even the worst part of it, I'm afraid. Just minutes after the man was slaughtered, a frantic messenger barged into the courtroom . . . with the missing child in his wake, safe and sound."

"So he was innocent after all!" Sarah cried. "That's not fair! It's just not fair. That poor man had to die just because the Fae needed someone to blame. The whole time the child was okay and all they had to do was wait five minutes and the whole thing could have been resolved!"

"Indeed," said Jareth, heavily. "But that . . . was the straw that broke the dragon's back. The child's disappearance was the test that the Deities had ordered to see if the world could truly change . . . but we failed. And because we failed . . . we were punished. That's how we came to be cursed."

Jareth took a minute before continuing. Sarah watched him and realized that he looked very worn out and sad. She somewhat regretted her burst of fury she'd felt at the Fae when she learned what they'd done to that poor man. She still hated that they would do such a thing, but it had been before Jareth was even alive and, when she heard that, she'd directed her anger at the only Fae there, him. But seeing him look so tired and miserable, she wished she hadn't blamed him like that. He'd had nothing to do with it.

"Our curse," Jareth continued after a second, "Consists of living off the magic that we took such pride in. It is the only thing that keeps plants growing, that keeps the air breathable, the only sustaining source of life. But because magic is the only thing keeping us alive, life is limited here unlike in your world. The world was split, giving your kind the better half. You are free to grow and sustain and live in a way that we are not."

"What did you mean 'life is limited'?" Sarah asked.

"It means that we are . . . unable to reproduce as you are," said Jareth, is face twitching so that, for a second, it resembled something of a twisted smile. "It is extremely difficult for Fae couples to conceive and even if we do conceive, most of the time, the offspring is stillborn."

"What?!" Sarah gasped. "That's awful."

"In a world run off magic only so much life can be sustained," said Jareth, looking intently at her. "What was more, the Deities took away our right to a peaceful death. We cannot die painlessly in our sleep anymore. Though we Fae don't have to die if we don't want to, every now and then there comes a point where one has lived too long and if we wish it, we can die. But death is now a very painful and unpleasant thing. Those who have tried to die after the curse was set upon us find it such a horrible, excruciating experience they give up on dying and continue living a meaningless existence."

There was a short silence in which Sarah thought about what it would be like to be unable to die if you wanted to. To stretch on and on, endlessly, would be terrible. The only way you would break the cycle would be to suffer tremendously before you finally pass into whatever it is that lay in wait after this life. Sarah also tried to imagine what it would be like to go through nine months of pregnancy just to give birth to a child who wasn't alive. She'd always wanted children of her own one day and such a thought made her feel sick with a heartbreak she hadn't felt yet.

Jareth watched her for a second but then steeled himself and stood up from the bench. "Now do you see that by sending you back to the Aboveground, I'm doing you a favor," he said. "If you live here, you will take part in this curse. All that we suffer from, you will also suffer. If you aren't entirely ready to do that, then I suggest you stop arguing with me and let me send you back."

"But back to what?" said Sarah, keeping her eyes low.

Jareth looked at her in disbelief.

"Jareth, I . . . I don't have anything to go back to," she said, standing up. "My family . . . they're all dead. Without them . . . I can't go back without them. I can't live in a world . . . where I'm not loved by a single person. Yes, I have friends and a job but nobody . . . they don't love me unconditionally. I have no promise . . . that they'll accept me for who I am. Can't you see where I'm coming from with this? Living alone in a world like that . . . that's a curse in itself!"

"Sarah," said Jareth, sounding tired again. "Listen . . . I may . . . know a way to keep that from being your fate."

"What do you mean?" Sarah demanded.

"You've seen my ability to reorder time before," said Jareth, unquestioningly. "If I were to have the power to send you back . . . I may be able to reorder the Aboveground time to whenever it is you like. I could send you back _prior_ to when your family died. I could send you back before any of you even got on that plane. Then you can make whatever kind of future you like."

Sarah stared at him, her mouth open slightly. "You . . . can do that?"

"Almost," said Jareth. "I just need a bit more time, that's all. If you could grant me just a little longer, I can send you back to your family. I swear I will have it done long before your thirteen day limit is up. Consider it, Sarah. You have more of a future there . . . than you will ever have here."

Jareth turned and lead her out of the garden. They didn't speak to each other again all along the way back to the castle.


	9. Leave OUt All the Rest

**Day 7**

Sarah woke the next morning from a night full of dreams that featured dead infants and a man screaming his innocence before a masked figure holding an axe. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt awful. Jareth's long and unnecessarily detailed description of the Underground being cursed had left a terrible imprint on her mind. It turned out that Jareth had been right when he told her that it was no place for her to live. If this curse had been born from the hatred between humans and the Fae, then this was certainly no place for her to be living after all.

But where _could _she live? If she stayed here, she'd turn into a Fae, but who knew what the rest of the Fae community would think of her. They may still think of her as a human, the enemy. If she went back to the Aboveground, everyone would ask her how she survived the plane crash. As imaginative as she had been as a child, she had no skill whatsoever in making up convincing lies. No matter where she went, she'd be facing suspicion, doubt, and possibly resentment.

With a miserable groan, she flopped back on her pillows and let out a dry sob. She just wanted to be somewhere where she was loved. If she had anybody, anyone at all in either world, who she knew would always love and care for her then the choice would be simple. But her family in the Aboveground was gone. She'd lost them in the crash. They wouldn't be coming back.

Jareth may have offered to send her back in time before the crash, should she chose to go home, but that possibility made her feel uneasy. The idea to go back and time and stop what had happened left her with a very dark and unwelcome feeling inside her. It would be like she was trying to cheat death. It wasn't natural and the idea scared her more than it made her want to go back. If she went with what made her feel comfortable, she ought to stay Underground.

But what did she have in the Underground that was worth staying for? The Royal Family had already tried to send her back in the middle of that catastrophe and all the creatures seemed suspicious and a little scared of her being there. True, the inhabitants of the Labyrinth were much kinder and she already had some wonderful friends here too, but living in the Labyrinth would also include living under the jurisdiction of the Goblin King. Jareth had made it perfectly clear that all would be better if she would return home to her own world and had gone out of his way to tell her why.

As Sarah got up, bathed, and dressed she kept going over everything in her mind. Here or there? Here or there? Which why should she go? Which place offered her a better life? Where could she be happy? Here or there? Well, according to Jareth, she had six days left to make up her mind. _If_ she made up her mind, that is. If she remained indecisive, then at the end of day thirteen either the Underground would chose for her and turn her into a Fae, or Jareth would chose for her and send her back. What was to be done? Which way should she go?

Sarah opened the door to her room to leave when she heard something slam against it. Sarah looked around and cried out when she realized she'd opened the door smack dab into the face of . . .

"Hoggle!" Sarah screamed, kneeling down to help the little dwarf, who had fallen backward on his behind and was clutching at his large nose. "Oh, Hoggle, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you where there? Are you okay?"

"I'b fide," said Hoggle, still holding his nose. "Geebz, loog befor ya oben da door nex tibe."

"Okay, I'm sorry," she said. "But Hoggle, what were you doing outside my door anyway?"

"Oh right!" said Hoggle, standing up and finally releasing his nose. "I was lookin' for a place ta hide! I don't wanna talk to . . .!"

"Don't want to talk to who?" Sarah asked, curious.

"Jareth's lousy guest!" growled Hoggle. "I can't stand that wretched thing or any of their kind! Why does Jareth always want that lousy old thing over for? But anyway, I was gonna hide in yer room before . . ."

"Tee hee hee! I found you, you beard-less pipsqueak!"

Sarah turned around to the source of the voice. Dangling from a chandelier from the ceiling was a small creature that Sarah had never seen before. It was just taller than Hoggle with black fur covering its body and striking blue tattoos all along its arms and back. It had two large, orange eyes which were leering down at Hoggle and a wide mouth with pointed teeth. As Sarah stared at the creature, it looked familiar. She had seen some creatures like this one in the Court room when she and Hoggle had been tried.

"Leave me alone!" roared Hoggle.

"What? I can't make fun of you?" said the creature, grinning down at Hoggle. "You let Jareth pick on you all the time and you never tell him to leave you alone."

"Jareth's my king and yer not!" Hoggle bellowed. "You're just the Imp King, so back off."

"That's right I am," said the Imp King, hopping lightly down from the chandelier and dancing just out of Hoggle's reach. "Pipsqueak, pipsqueak, pipsqueak pipsqueak PIPSQUEAK!"

"DON'T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!" roared Hoggle, brandishing his fists like a four year old trying to fight off a bully that he couldn't take.

"Now stop that, both of you," said Sarah, stepping between them. "Don't make me separate you!"

Hoggle was still seething about the 'pipsqueak' comments, but the Imp King turned its eyes to Sarah. Its eyes stared her up and down, taking in each detail. "Hm," it said. "My, my, my. I never thought I'd get to meet you . . . Sarah, right?" it asked, looking up at her with a toothy grin.

"Yes, that's right," said Sarah, curiously. "And who are you?"

"The name's Tecla," said the Imp King. "And like the runt said, I'm Imp King from over in the next kingdom. So you're the famous . . . or rather the infamous . . . Sarah who remains, to this day, the only one to ever best the Labyrinth. Oh, but you've come here because a tragic accident landed you here, right? Shucks, I'm sorry."

"How . . . did you know that?" said Sarah, startled.

"Don't be surprised," said Tecla, grinning. "We Imps can see into the minds of people around us. It helps us know who is an enemy and who isn't."

"You read minds?" said Sarah, startled.

"Well, mostly," said Tecla, then leaned closer and peered deep into her eyes. "Hm, you've got a good heart, even though it's a bit troubled at the moment. Hm, and you've already started developing into a Fae, have you? Didn't think he let ya get that far, personally. But I can see why he digs ya . . ."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked.

Tecla laughed. "Oh, so that's how it is? Well, if he wasn't up for saying it out loud then . . ."

"I don't remember inviting you in here, Tecla," said a voice from behind them. Jareth had arrived and he was eyeing the Imp King with a disapproving glare. Tecla, who didn't seem to notice this, hopped lightly and hung in midair in front of Jareth.

"Jareth, how are you!?" Tecla cried. "I've missed ya over in the Imp Kingdom. Is it really that bad over there?"

"Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer, Tecla," said Jareth, sharply. "You know you're not to cross into other kingdoms without permission. The Portholes are only to be used in an emergency."

"Well, I thought you'd like to hear from me, rather than be surprised," said Tecla, cheerfully. "Princess Zara is coming over this morning."

"Zara is coming here, is she?" said Jareth, raising one eyebrow.

"Yup," said Tecla. "No doubt she's curious about the rumors."

"Rumors?" said Jareth.

"Oh, you know, the rumors that say you're keeping a human hidden in your castle and hoping to turn it into a Fae so that you can rub it in the face of the Royal Family," Tecla chuckled. "You know, that rumor."

"Really?" said Jareth. "Hm. Sarah," he turned to her. "Perhaps it would be wise if you took shelter in the library today. I have a feeling that you wouldn't want to be ogled at by Zara and whatever 'friends' she brings with her."

"Oh, alright," said Sarah, but her head erupted in thoughts. The High Princess was coming here? What for?

"I'll go with her," said Tecla. "Me and beard-less here will keep her company until the Princess sees fit to leave."

"You're too kind, Tecla," said Jareth and Sarah saw something of a smile curl his mouth as he looked at the Imp King. "Hamlet, go with them. I'll see you later once I've settled this matter with Zara."

"Hamlet!?" grumbled Hoggle as Jareth walked away. "He's not even _trying_, is he?"

Sarah, Hoggle, and the Imp King set out for the giant library that Sarah had found on her first day in the castle. Once they were inside, Tecla closed the door and peered through the keyhole. "Zara's just arrived," Tecla told them. "And . . . sheesh, there has to be five courtiers with her. That little brat can't go anywhere without her posse with her, can she?"

"What makes her a brat?" Sarah asked, curious about the Royal Family she'd only caught a glimpse of while at the trial.

"The fact that she's spoiled rotten by her mother, Presea," said Tecla. "Her brother is too, as a matter of fact. Girls like Zara put women to shame, they do. Spoiled, stupid little twit with puffy lips that just pouts and gets what she wants. The only person to ever tell her the word 'no' is probably Jareth. Man, I hate girls like her. They make me feel almost ashamed."

"Ashamed of what?" Sarah asked, looking puzzled at the Imp King.

Tecla turned around and stared into Sarah's eyes. After a second's pause, Tecla fell down on the ground, pounding on the polished floorboards, and crying hysterically.

"Wh-wh-what's wrong!" Sarah cried, wondering what on earth she could have done.

"YOU THINK I'M A BOY! YOU THINK I'M A BOY!" wailed Tecla, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"You . . . you're _not_ a boy?" Sarah asked, horrorstruck.

"NO!" shrieked Tecla. "I'M A _GIRL_! ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?!"

"I . . . I'm so sorry!" said Sarah, stunned. "I-I just . . . well, you said you were a _king!_ I guess I just assumed that . . ."

"WHAAAAA!" cried Tecla. "I'M UGLY! I'M UGLY!"

"The leader of the Imps is the King regardless of gender," Hoggle said loudly to Sarah over Tecla's screeching cries. "Even girls can be called King."

"I didn't realize," said Sarah, helpless.

"Ah, shut up, you lousy excuse for a leader!" roared Hoggle. "It's yer fault fer not tellin' Sarah what ya are!"

"AH, SHUT UP, YOU BEARD-LESS PIPSQUEAK!" screamed Tecla, furiously.

"Now both of you stop that now!" Sarah demanded. "Tecla, I'm sorry for thinking you're a boy, but I can't help what I think and don't take out your anger on Hoggle. Hoggle, being a girl I know how they feel, so please don't call her a 'lousy excuse for a leader' okay?"

Both creatures stared at her for a long time, then Tecla sprang to her feet. "Ah, I'm better now," she said. "Sorry about that, Sarah. Imps are known to have weird mood swings."

"Women," grumbled Hoggle.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth had always known how to act like a gentleman of the Fae. He knew exactly how he was supposed to behave in every situation given to him. He knew just how he was supposed to act, even if it meant acting against his feelings. He knew, from council and experience, how he was to act when Princess Zara and her five lovely companions came into the castle and just what he was supposed to say. He was supposed to be happy to see them, escort them to a sitting parlor, and strike up a witty conversation to get things moving. The only problem was that all he wanted to do with them is throw them all out on their petticoated backsides and slam the door in their perfect noses.

"Greetings, High Princess," he said, as Zara entered the room with her little friends. "It is such an honor to have you here, my Princess, and your darling companions at that."

"My greetings, Goblin King," said Zara, lifting her skirt in a slight curtsy to him. "I hope I find you well?"

"Blooming, thank you," said Jareth, inclining his head toward her.

"Your Highness," said the red-haired Cadma, stepping forward out from the others to stand next to Zara. "King Jareth, it is most lovely to see you again. Do you remember me?"

He most certainly did. The snide little twit had tried to win his favor several times before. Whenever he dared to attend any kind of festivity with the rest of the Fae, she would be there offering him liberal amounts of wine . . . and more. He had blatantly refused everything she threw his way. Even a King of Goblins had to have standards.

"It is a fine thing to see you again, Cadma," said Jareth, plastering on a fake smile for the sake of Zara and her other companions. "And who else is joining you today, Princess?" he asked in an attempt to seem politely interested when he couldn't have been less interested.

"Ah," said Zara, turning to her companions. "Well, you know Cadma, of course. Here we have Aimee," she indicated a petite little curly blonde. "This is Radmilla," a voluptuous and bold-faced brunette, "and we have Phedra," a tall, thin girl with wavy black hair, "and this is Selima," another blonde with her hair pulled back into a plait.

"Wonderful to make acquaintances with all of you," said Jareth, though he despised the way there were all batting eyelashes at him and some even twisting slightly to the side as to show him their well proportioned figures. "Please, make yourselves comfortable in the parlor."

"King Jareth," whined Phedra. "Why must you live in such a dingy castle? All this stone and metal, it's so dreary."

"Someone has to be the King of the Goblins," said Jareth, calmly. "This was my choice, if you don't recall. But I do not mind the castle. It suits my tastes quite well, actually."

"Didn't the High King offer you house room in the Palace, King Jareth?" asked Aimee, simpering sweetly.

"He was gracious enough to make that offer, yes," said Jareth. "But I'm afraid I had to decline due to . . . personal reasons."

"In other words, Prince Renning put his foot down," said Selima, giggling girlishly.

Both Jareth and Zara turned around and gave her a look for that. "That is not for you to say, Selima dear," said Zara, quietly.

"Oh, right, I apologize very much, your Majesties," said Selima, looking embarrassed and slightly afraid.

And so, Jareth entertained his guests. He listened and chatted and remained unbearably _bored_ the entire time while the women gossiped away and twittered like birds. Zara, however, was mostly silent and just when Jareth's patience was wearing very thin did she stand up.

"I hope you can excuse me for a moment, girls," said Zara. "But I would like a private word with our gracious host."

"Certainly, my Princess," said Jareth, rather gratefully. Cadma had been giving him suggestive looks and if she batted her eyelashes at him one more time, he was going to rip them out of her eyelids completely.

"We'll just be a moment, ladies," said Zara, and Jareth showed her into a smaller room off to the side of the parlor. "You're welcome," she said, once they were safely alone.

"I don't know why you would be so vindictive as to bring them in the first place," said Jareth, breathing heavily through his teeth. "You know I can't stand the women of the court."

"I know," said Zara. "But it isn't protocol for the High Princess to travel with an escort of at least five companions to watch out for her, especially when they are entering the home of a nobleman."

"Right," said Jareth, turning to face her. "So? Just why are you here, Zara?"

"Am I not allowed to see you when I like?" she asked, simply.

"You know better than to try and fool me," said Jareth. "You don't come without reason or unless you want something."

Zara gave a very ladylike shrug. "Such is my place in this world. Jareth we, that is to say my family, are curious as to what you've been doing with . . . that human girl."

"I'm keeping her here," said Jareth, using his words carefully. "She flatly refuses to return to her home unless I reorder time and send her to whatever time she likes. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Well, I must admit, I'm surprised," said Zara. "You, of all people, are keeping an Abovegrounder in your home."

"Is that so hard to believe?" Jareth asked.

"Well, I daresay it is," said Zara, looking at him in surprise. "It's just that, well, only once has a human made the transformation to a Fae before and . . ."

"I am very familiar with the tale indeed, if you don't recall," said Jareth coldly. "You needn't remind me."

"I'm sorry," said Zara. "But Jareth, the girl has been here for a few days now. What if she adapts? Wouldn't it be better just to send her back to when she was brought here? You wouldn't need to reorder time that much and you can do it in your own realm."

"Zara, you needn't worry," said Jareth. "She will be dealt with accordingly."

"That's what you told Father," said Zara. "And the matter has _yet_ to be dealt with. Renning is getting suspicious. If he has any reason to harm you or to do you some kind of injustice, he will jump at the chance. Just send her away and be done . . ."

"I will deal with the matter, Zara," said Jareth in a dangerous voice. "The human girl is under _my _jurisdiction, as I said before. You needn't slither into my lands with your horde of vipers just so you can snoop about in my affairs."

Zara blinked at him, stunned, and then lowered her gaze. "Those are bold words, coming from someone such as you to a person of my stature."

"I beg your pardon then," snapped Jareth. "Get those vixens out of my castle, would you? I have important work to be done."

"Jareth," said Zara. "I apologize for interfering in matters of your business. But there is another reason I arrived today."

"And that is?" Jareth asked, wearily.

"I came to cordially invite you to my birthday celebration in two days," said Zara. "You didn't come last time and I was rather hoping you would come if I invited you personally."

Jareth had to work hard not to roll his eyes. "You think that's wise, Zara? Inviting me to a festivity that the rest of the Royal Family will be attending?"

"I merely wish to keep peace," said Zara. "I do not like this hostility between you and my brother. I only want . . ."

"I'll see what I can do, Zara," said Jareth. "Now, you'd better head back. I can't stand the sight of that foul Cadma for another minute."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sarah, Hoggle, and Tecla had been cooped in the library for some time before Tecla looked up to the ceiling. "I think the Princess and her companions are leaving," she said. "About time too. Listening to their prattling is getting on my nerves."

"You can read people's minds even if they're far away?" Sarah asked.

"If I focus on them hard enough," said Tecla. "But this time it's hardly worth listening too. Sheesh, the one called Cadma only ever seems to think about how best to get Jareth to . . . well, I won't go into details."

"What?" said Sarah, feeling an uncomfortable pang in her stomach. "Jareth's . . . dating one of them?"

"No," said Tecla, looking over to Sarah and grinning toothily. "She just wants to see if she can get herself better off politically using her looks alone. She's not that attractive to me, but I'm just a lowly imp," Tecla sighed and shrugged.

"All Fae ladies are like that," said Hoggle. "Probably why Jareth doesn't like having 'em over here."

"Hm," said Sarah, unsure of what to say.

"Tee hee hee," said Tecla, suddenly. "No need to feel bad, Sarah. He just hates fake little twits like them. He used to have girlfriends upon occasion while he still lived in the royal manse, but when he became Goblin King he lost interest."

"Manse?" said Sarah. "Isn't that a kind of church house? Why would Jareth live there?"

Tecla gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth. "What? Did I say that? I didn't say that!"

"Yes you d . . ."

"Wow! Look at that weather, huh?!" said Tecla, looking out the window brightly, though she was wringing her small hands and sweating a bit. "Nice, nice weather. Hm, really spectacular. It's such a lovely day, isn't it."

"That is a pretty unsubtle changing of subjects, Tecla," said Sarah, sharply. "Listen, what is it with Jareth and the Royal Family anyway? What is it between them? What's the history there?"

"Whoa! Look at the time!" said Tecla, staring around wildly. "I just remembered I have a . . . I left a . . . food . . . in the oven . . . um . . . I'LL SEE YA LATER!" and with that, the Imp King vanished.

"Weird things, imps," said Sarah.

"Ya've no idea," said Hoggle, shaking his head. "Come on, Sarah. I'll let ya out of the castle fer a bit. I'll bet Ludo's been dying to see ya."

Hoggle lead Sarah out of the library and through the Escher room. Just as the made it to the entrance hall did they come across the Princess's five pretty guests. They were all talking loudly and as they approached, Sarah could hear they were talking about Jareth.

"Uh oh!" said Hoggle. "I can't let them see me, I'm supposed to have been executed!" he turned and took off, leaving Sarah alone to listen to the girls talk.

"It's been so long since Jareth has taken a lover," said Selima. "It's a shame, really. He's so handsome."

"He is one of the few decent specimens that the Underground has to offer," said Radmilla. "I wish he didn't have to live in this dunghill though."

"Better than living in the Palace with Prince Renning," said Aimee, seriously. "Did you hear what he did to Cecelia?"

"I did," said Phedra. "Apparently she fell down a flight of stairs but they say that he pushed her."

"Why on earth would he do that?" asked Cadma in mock surprise.

"To cover up the beating he'd given her," said Phedra. "Renning was always the rough sort."

"He can't be all bad," said Radmilla. "He's going to be High King when the Solstice comes. Our current High King would never pass on the crown to someone who abuses people."

"Well, he doesn't have a choice," said Aimee. "Renning is the only one who passes all the qualifications. A legitimate, male heir is the only one who may usurp the throne. It cannot go to a woman or any illegitimate heir he has."

"Ladies," came a new voice. Sarah, keeping her distance from the women, saw the Fae Princess come into the room. "It's time to go, my dears. We are expected back at the castle soon."

The women all turned and left the room, their silk skirts and petticoats rustling behind them as the moved. Sarah watched them go, half wishing she could call them back and ask them all the questions she had about what she'd overheard, but decided that it was best not to do so.

**Ying-Fa: Okay, here's the next chapter. I need some opinions here. This story's rating will not become anything other than T, but I may or may not include a scene that includes very mild "love" scene. There won't be much, just something to help advance the story. If you think that's a bad idea, let me know. If not, let me know then, too. Thank you very much and please review your hearts out.**


	10. For You

**Ying-Fa: Alright, thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far. This is getting very exciting. Okay, I'm gonna need some serious opinions on how this one goes.**

**Nagini-chan: Is your self-esteem low again?**

**Ying-Fa: Was it that obvious?**

**Day 8**

"I already told ya," said Hoggle. "I don't mess in Jareth's business for my own safety. You shouldn't either, fer that matter."

It was the afternoon of Sarah's eighth day in the Underground. She, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Strootle were all in her room talking. She'd longed for the company of all her friends so Strootle had kindly brought them too her at her request. She was sitting on her bed, today in a pretty gown of blue silk with her hair tied back in a braid. Hoggle was sitting in the chair next to the hearth, Didymus was sitting astride his sleeping steed, the sheep dog Ambrosius, Ludo was sitting on the floor in front of her wardrobe and Strootle was nestled on top of the monster's head.

"But Tecla and those girls . . ." said Sarah.

"Gossip is commonly practiced among the Fae women of the Court," said Didymus. "I wouldn't be surprised if not a single thing they were saying was true. Rumor mongering is most unjust, in my opinion."

"So you think what they were saying about the Crown Prince isn't true?" Sarah asked.

The creatures exchanged looks. "Well, to be fair, none of us know anything about him," said Strootle. "We's all live in the Labyrinth, which is secluded and set apart from the rest of the Underground. Tis a place unique to all other kingdoms and we's live here in peace and hardly ever meet with the Royal Family of the Fae."

"But why?" Sarah asked. "Why is this place not under the jurisdiction of the Royal Family. If the High King rules all of the Underground, what makes this place special."

"The Labyrinth wasn't always here," said Hoggle. "When Jareth took over as Goblin King, he made some kinda deal with the High King. A deal that says Jareth gets to decide all the laws here. The goblins didn't have a King prior to Jareth, ya see."

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"They didn't believe that the goblins needed one," explained Didymus. "But apparently, it was decided by the court that His Majesty could become King over whichever kingdom he desired. He chose the goblins and thus built his own, private land of the Labyrinth. It is a fortress, unable to open to anybody who is unwelcome or unwanted. That way, nobody from the outside may come in and question His Majesty's way and his deal with the High King remains in tact."

"What's more," said Strootle. "His Majesty has allowed any creature from any race that is unwanted in their own kingdoms to come and be his subjects."

"Like us," said Hoggle, lowering his head. Ludo and Didymus looked a little depressed too.

"Can I ask you guys why you live here instead of with your own kind?" Sarah asked. "You don't have to say if you don't want to."

"Well, I came here a long time ago," said Hoggle. "I left the Dwarf Kingdom voluntarily. I hated it there, that's all."

"Ludo . . . no home," grumbled Ludo. "King gives Ludo home."

"Even if the goblins pick on you?" said Sarah, looking at her largest yet kindest friend.

"Home," said Ludo. "Better than no home."

"And I swore myself to the service of the Goblin King," said Didymus. "It is an ancient tradition of our kind to set out on quests and swear our services to nobility and earn our knighthood. I simply decided to live here so that I may serve his Majesty without flaw or fault."

Sarah looked at her three friends and couldn't help but feel there was a bit of truth lacking from their stories. She didn't bring it up, however. She wasn't going to drill her best friends for information that may be painful to reveal. "So, that's how the Labyrinth was built. Does Tecla come here often?"

"The imps and the goblins are always allies," said Strootle. "The Goblin King and the Imp King commonly meet for various things concerning their kingdoms just as other rulers do. There are even devises called Portholes that a King can used to travel to the castle of another Kingdom allied to them in case of emergencies."

"Tecla takes advantage of that, however," said Hoggle, grumpily. "She pretty much comes and goes whenever she pleases."

A clock over on Sarah's bedside table began to chime out the hour. It was now four o'clock and Strootle shot up and leapt off Ludo's head. "Strootle must start on dinner," he said. "What would Miss Sarah like for eating?"

"Oh, nothing right now," said Sarah. "I'll let you know if something crosses my mind, okay?"

"Oh, alright then," said Strootle going back to sit on the floor next to Ambrosius. "So, what else would you like to speak about, miss?"

"Wait," said Sarah. "What about Jareth? Aren't you going to make him anything?"

"His Majesty has been in his chambers most of the day," said Strootle. "Unless he sends for me directly, Strootle would never have the nerve to go in there and ask him."

"How come?" said Sarah, confused.

"His Majesty has very strict rules about such things," said Strootle. "Rule Number One in the Goblin Castle: Do not wake up the King if he is sleeping (he will wake himself up), and Rule Number Two Is: Never disturb the King while he is working (odds are he has a headache and cannot deal with you right now)."

"Hm," said Sarah, thoughtfully. "I wonder just what he's been doing. Other than entertaining those high-fashion bimbos yesterday, he's seemed to be pretty busy."

"Probably trying to find out how ta sends ya home, Sarah," said Hoggle. "Ain't that what he said he'd do?"

"That's what he said," grumbled Sarah. "Well, if that's what he's doing, cooped up in his room all this time, he'll only be disappointed. I still don't know if I even want to go back to the Aboveground at all, so it is probably just a waste of effort."

"But my lady," said Sir Didymus. "What about Sir Tobias and the rest of your family in the Aboveground? Surely they are missing you dreadfully . . ." Didymus's words were cut short by Hoggle elbowing him in the ribs so hard he fell off of Ambrosius's back.

"Sawah . . . stay?" said Ludo, his eyes widening and his ears flapping.

"Yes, there is a chance that I'm going to live here from now on, Ludo," said Sarah, kindly.

"Sawah . . . Sawah stay!" said Ludo, looking delighted. "Ludo happy!"

But Hoggle didn't look quite as pleased. "Jareth won't let ya stay," he warned darkly. "He's determined to send ya home."

"Well, I'm determined to stay," said Sarah, stubbornly. "You know once I've set my mind to something, there's no stopping me."

"Good show, my lady, good show," said Didymus, proudly, hopping back onto the sleeping dog's back. "You tell His Majesty what for!"

"But what about . . . yer folks?" Hoggle asked, timidly.

Sarah felt something in the pit of her stomach. "I . . . don't know yet," she said. "It's just that . . . maybe I think things will be better if I stay here. Going back in time and changing the future . . . kinda freaks me out."

"Freaks?" said Ludo.

"It's a figure of speech, Ludo," said Sarah, sweetly. "But, anyway, even if there had never been a plane crash then . . ."

Sarah froze. She'd suddenly thought of something. The combined thoughts of the crash and Jareth brought her mind back to the conversation she'd had with Jareth in the garden. She turned around to stare at Hoggle, horrorstruck.

"Wh-what's the matter?" Hoggle asked.

"Hoggle . . . did you ever tell Jareth why you brought me here?" Sarah asked, watching Hoggle's watery eyes carefully.

Hoggle immediately lowered his gaze to the floor. "Wh-what are ya talkin' about?" he said, in a shifty kind of manner. "I . . . I haven't talked much to Jareth about stuff like that. He . . . he just yelled at me and said he ought to have me executed like the court wanted. I j-just let him monologue until he lost steam and let me go 'cause he was tired. I never mentioned nothing about . . . yer accident."

Sarah stared at the dwarf. He was looking at the floor, hands behind his back, and one little foot was rubbing into the ground. It was the same posture that Toby used to take when he was being less than truthful.

"Somehow," she said, slowly. "That's what I thought you'd say. I'll be back later," she added, standing up from her bed and heading for the door.

"What!? WAIT!! Where are ya goin'!?" Hoggle cried as the other creatures stared after her in confusion.

"I need a little chat with the Goblin King," growled Sarah, slipping out the door before Hoggle could stop her. She hurried through the castle and eventually came across a stray goblin.

"Where are the King's chambers?" she asked the little creature, fiercely.

"West Wing, topmost door of the tower," answered the goblin. "But I wouldn't go in there now if I were you. I think he's busy."

"Oh, he'll talk to me, busy or not," said Sarah, angrily and she headed up the stairs and found the West Wing. She climbed all the way to the top of the tower until she found what could only be the doors to Jareth's chambers. They were massive and embedded with studs of gold with large, ornate handles. Without knocking, she grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

There was the sound of a drawer opening and slamming shut and then a furious cry of "Sarah!" Jareth had been sitting by a desk at one end of his massive bedchambers. They were twice the size of Sarah's and even more lavishly decorated with shades of blue and gold. Sarah barely had time to register the beauty before she was face-to-face with Jareth, who was now standing from the desk and looking very angry indeed. He was dressed in his usual white shirt, black vest, and tight breeches and was now standing in front of her, tall and fuming.

"Just what are you doing in here?" he asked, hotly.

"I need to have a little word with you," Sarah answered, stepping into the room unabashedly. "You've been lying again, Jareth and I want the truth."

"Truth?" said Jareth, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "The truth about what, precisely."

"When we had that little conversation in the garden, you let something slip that I hadn't caught until I just remembered," Sarah told him, looking right into his eyes. "How did you know that I was in a plane crash when I was brought here?"

"What?" said Jareth, looking disdainful. "What are you talking about?"

"In the garden," said Sarah. "You said you could send me back before my family and I ever got on that plane. But how did you know that it was a plane at all? How could you have possibly known that?"

Jareth was silent for a moment. He didn't look away, but there was something going on behind those mismatched eyes. Something that Sarah couldn't quite detect. He was hiding something behind those eyes, she knew it. Something she needed to know, but she knew she'd have to work to hear it.

"Hoggle said that he never told you about the crash," said Sarah, stepping forward slightly. "How could you know if nobody told you? How did you know about what happened that night?"

Jareth finally looked away from Sarah, his face pulled down into a grimace. "Sarah, get out of this room now," he said slowly.

"I will not," Sarah said, hotly. "You know something, Jareth. Why won't you tell me? If you make me jump to conclusions, you won't like where they go."

"You're not allowed to be in here, Sarah," Jareth said in a low, warning voice. "Get out now."

"Are you trying to hide the fact that it was your fault?!" Sarah screeched. "Did you have something to do with that flight crashing!? Was this your fault? Was it some kind of elaborate scheme to get revenge? Did you hate the fact that I beat the Labyrinth so much that you made it so that my family and I would all die just to get back at me!"

Jareth turned back to her, now more furious than ever. "You . . . _dare_ . . . accuse . . ."

"Well it worked great!" Sarah screamed. "I lost my family! They're gone forever and I can't have them back! Was all this crap about you sending me back before the crash ever happened remorse or something? Did you not know that Hoggle rescued me and so now you're sending me back and hoping I'll just get on the plane again and have it actually kill . . ."

"ENOUGH!"

Jareth's outraged scream brought Sarah's accusations to an abrupt halt. She stared at the King before her and for the first time since she'd entered this forbidden area did she feel afraid. She'd never seen Jareth quite so angry before. His face was reddening, his chest heaving rapidly, and his mismatched eyes reduced to slits full of rage.

"Do . . . not," he hissed. "Speak of things . . . that you do not understand, Sarah. Don't you_ dare_ make such accusations of me. What happened in the Aboveground was, quite honestly, _an accident!_ It was no fault of mine or the work of any force in the Underground. So don't you dare make such accusations of me again, Sarah. Or, so help me, I shall make you extremely sorry indeed."

There was a slight silence between them. Sarah was still shocked about Jareth's complete fury, she was even a little scared. Jareth took the moments of quiet to calm down slightly, the redness disappearing from his face and his breathing returning to normal.

"I . . . want you out of this room, Sarah," he said, in much calmer tones. "Now."

But Sarah refused to move. Her mind was trying to work around what she'd heard, what she knew and what she didn't. Jareth knew about the crash, even thought Hoggle hadn't told him about it. If it hadn't been the malicious plot she'd thought of, then what?

"How . . . did you know?" she asked again. "Was Hoggle just lying when he said he didn't tell you about rescuing me?"

One of Jareth's eyes winced and his mouth curled into a slight sneer, but he said nothing. It was as if the thought of Hoggle was disgusting to him. Sarah didn't back down.

"What's the matter with you!?" Sarah demanded. "Why won't you just tell me and what is this problem you have with Hoggle? Why are you so . . ."

But then it clicked. The answer hit her so powerfully it felt as the she'd had the wind knocked out of her. She stood there in silence, temporarily stupefied. She finally regained enough sense to look back into the face of the angry king.

"Hoggle . . ." she whispered. "Hoggle didn't save me from the plane crash. You did!"

Jareth's head snapped up and he stared at her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open. It was the look of a man cornered. Sarah's own mouth fell open to as she realized.

"You . . . you _did_!" she cried. "You did, didn't you?! It was you! You saved me from the crash! You brought me here in the first place! It was you all along!"

"Sarah . . ." said Jareth, his face now turning white. "I want you to leave this room now. Get out of here, Sarah."

"Oh, I'm so stupid!" said Sarah, ignoring Jareth's request. "I can't believe I couldn't tell. It was you from the beginning! Now you're planning to send me back and pretend that nothing ever happened? If that's the case, why bother bringing me here in the first place?"

"I told you to get out!" bellowed Jareth.

"Why bother bringing me here if you're just going to send me back?" Sarah went on, unable to stop the flood of thoughts that were pouring from her mouth. "Why go through all the trouble of saving me? Why would you tease me with the idea that I can live here when you're just going to send me back? You don't make any sense whatsoever! It probably would have saved you a lot of time and effort to just leave me where I was. It would have been better for you if you'd just left me to d . . ."

Sarah never managed to finish her tirade of unpleasant thoughts. While she'd been ranting on, Jareth had been moving closer to her. Just as the last words came from her did he tightly grab onto her upper arms and cover her mouth firmly with his own.

No longer able to speak, Sarah just stood there, stunned by what was happening. Jareth's grip on her arms was almost painful, but she barely noticed. Her world's center of focus was where his lips were crushed against hers. It was a clash of the two passions that had been burning in him ever since she'd come into his room. It was a combination of the need to show her just what his motives were, and a desperate longing to make her shut up. After the shock that had first engulfed her had worn off, Sarah felt herself responding to the action in a way she didn't expect. Her eyes closed of their own accord and her hands rose to place themselves on his chest. This action made Jareth take a steadying breath through his nose and his grip on her arms slackened.

Then his mouth broke away from hers, leaving Sarah feeling slightly dazed. She blinked a couple of times then looked up at him. He looked much calmer now, his eyes soft and his face relaxed, but she could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I've never in my life met anyone quite as impertinent as you, Sarah," he said, a slight edge to his otherwise soft tone. "But, yes. It was I who brought you here."

"Wh-why?" stammered Sarah, still dazed at their closeness.

"Because I couldn't bear to watch you die," Jareth replied simply.

His words were so honest, his eyes so pleadingly earnest, there was no excusing it as false. It was the truth he was saying and she knew it. She knew it so well, in fact, that she pushed herself up on her toes and brought her lips back up against his. Jareth made a slight sound in the back of his throat, then wrapped his arms around her, bringing her much closer than before, up against him. Sarah made her own soft whimper of delight as she flew her arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

It wasn't like before. This wasn't a mere meshing of mouths. This was a kiss both quite overdue and amazingly enjoyable. Jareth was an astonishing kisser, he really was. All of her previous exploits in boyfriends looked like total jokes compared to him. It was a kind of sweet torture, satisfying but caused her to yearn for more, to want more. He was the stuff of dreams, Jareth. Nothing compared to the smell of him, the feel of him, the _taste_ of him.

Things didn't stay too innocent for long. The kiss was deepened as their mouths opened and their tongues started to participate. Hands began to wander, Jareth's were traveling downward to her hips and Sarah's were sliding slowly back down his chest where they ran into the lacings of his leather vest. Almost completely unaware of what she was doing, she tugged at them and pulled the garment loose and when her hands came up again it slid down his arms.

"Sarah," Jareth whispered, pulling away so he could speak. Sarah couldn't stand the separation so she brought her lips to the side of his jaw instead, working her way up to his neck, her hands meshing with the soft material of his shirt.

"Sarah," he repeated, a little more urgently. "Remember Sarah . . . do unto others . . . as you will have done to yourself." To get his point across, he squeezed her hips with his hands and planted an intimate kiss on her shoulder. Sarah gasped in shock and pleasure. It was hard to believe she was enjoying this as much as she was. She normally never found much interest in . . . this sort of thing. Whenever her old boyfriends, like Paul and poor Eric, had tried to make such attempts with her it would only make her want to dump them sooner. But not Jareth, not now, now when she was enjoying this so much. She didn't care what was about to come next with Jareth as long as they didn't stop. To show him that, her hands dipped into his shirt and she couldn't help but sigh at the feel of his smooth skin.

Jareth hissed in a breath and, before Sarah even knew that they'd moved at all, she found herself lying down on something very soft. Jareth's bed, she realized. She was lying down on Jareth's _bed!_ With Jareth himself lying down on top of her, no less. Sarah didn't know what the anxious feeling in her stomach was. Whether it was panic or excitement, fear or want, she didn't have a clue but she couldn't act on either one. All she could do was sigh and moan lightly as Jareth kissed her everywhere. His lips traveled all over her face, tasting her lips, cheeks, temple, forehead, chin, jaw and each closed eyelid. He then traveled downward to taste the pulse in her neck, his hands (he'd removed his gloves somewhere along the way) working on the front fastenings of her dress.

Just as things were starting to get extremely serious and Sarah was afraid she would either freak out or explode, a very loud pounding on the door brought them to an abrupt halt. Jareth froze above her, seeming to be rather stunned and not sure whether he'd heard it or not. A second later, however, the pounding came again. Jareth groaned in agitation.

"Whatever it is, it can wait!" he bellowed at the door.

"This is most important, Your Majesty!" cried a goblin's voice from outside the door. "The High King wishes to speak with you, sire!"

At the mention of the High King, Sarah sat up and Jareth moved off her. Sarah looked at him and saw that he looked rather nervous. He shot Sarah a quick, longing glance before calling out, "Are you . . . sure that this can't wait?"

"He says he wishes to talk with you at once, Your Majesty," came the goblin's reply.

Jareth groaned again and brought his hand to his face, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Tell him . . . tell him I'll be there shortly," he said, in a defeated sort of voice.

"Right boss!" said the goblin, scurrying away.

After a moment, Jareth furiously removed himself from the bed and started to smarten himself up again by tucking in his shirt and rubbing at his kiss-swollen lips. Sarah did likewise, running her nails through her hair and tightening up the laces in her dress that Jareth had managed to undo. Just as Jareth was about to leave the room he stopped and looked back at her with longing still in his eyes, came back to her, took her face in his hands and planted a kiss in her hair.

"I'm . . . I apologize, Sarah," he murmured. "I know there is still . . . well, let's just say we're not finished here. But this is something I cannot ignore."

"I understand," said Sarah, not sure if he meant that there were still things that needed discussing or if he was purely looking forward to finishing what they'd started. "Go and talk to him, Jareth. It sounds important."

Jareth made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat, kissed her once more and then left the room closing the door a little too hard in his disappointment.

**Ying-Fa: Well? Any good? And this ain't the first of it, people. More's to come, as for when . . . who knows (tee hee) Tell me what you think!**


	11. Your Own Disaster

"You did WHAT!?"

Sarah immediately regretted telling Hoggle (in very minor, edited detail) what had happened when she went to interrogate Jareth in his room. "It was . . . just a bit of kissing," said Sarah, trying not to focus on the event too much.

"That's my point!" bellowed Hoggle. "What's the matter with ya!? Goin' around and kissin' Jareth! Whatever happened to wantin' to go home?"

"I told you before I wasn't sure I wanted to do that," said Sarah, testily. "I'm still deciding, remember."

They were in the library again. Hoggle had run after her when she'd disappeared and had reached the room just as Jareth left it to speak to the High King. He then ran in and demanded to know what had happened and Sarah, not wanting to stay too long in Jareth's room anymore, dragged him into the library and explained.

"This is unlike ya Sarah," said Hoggle. "What about yer family? Jareth's givin' you a chance to bring 'em back and start afresh. He thought that's what ya'd want."

"Well," said Sarah, looking down at the dwarf. "I know one thing that I want and I want to know why you lied and said you saved me when you didn't."

Hoggle's eyes widened, but then he lowered his head. "Jareth made me," he said. "Honestly he did. Ya didn't see him that day. I was summoned to the castle so I went to Jareth's study and I saw the two of ya in there. Ya were unconscious, Sarah, and Jareth was holdin' ya. I've never seen him like that. He was all white-faced and scared lookin'. He told me ya were in an accident and if he hadn't brought ya here, ya'd have died. He said to take ya to my house and hide ya fer awhile. He'd figure out how to reorder time in the Aboveground and then he can send ya back at a better time, where ya'd be safe."

"You agreed to it?" said Sarah.

"O' course I did," said Hoggle, shuffling his feet. "I mean . . . we are . . . friends, right?"

Hoggle's replied touched her. "Of course we are, Hoggle," she said, kneeling down his eye level. "I can see now. Jareth didn't think I'd take kindly to waking up in the castle and he was probably right."

"Yeah," said Hoggle, grumpily. "That is until ya start kissin' each other."

"You're never going to let that die, are you?" said Sarah, with a huff.

"No I'm not," said Hoggle. "Reorderin' time in a place you don't control, especially if that place is the Aboveground, is serious business. Jareth wouldn't do it fer just anybody. If you go around and messing with him like that and decide to go home, he'll be right unpleased."

Sarah gasped. She hadn't thought of that. "I . . . well . . . I . . ."

"Just don't do it again," said Hoggle. "Get mad at him over something and brush it off."

"I . . . I don't know," moaned Sarah, covering her face with her hands. "To see my family again . . . sounds wonderful, it really does. I miss them so much! But . . . whenever I think about leaving here . . . my insides . . . oh, I just feel so horrible."

"Ya . . . ya'll feel better eventually," said Hoggle, patting her consolingly on the shoulder. "Once ya make up yer mind. It'll be fine, I promise."

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one whose mind needs making up," said Sarah, heavily. She got up and wandered off, not knowing where exactly she was going. Truth be told, her mind was still a total mess as to what she was going to do from now on. The choice of whether to stay in the Underground or return to the reordered Aboveground was bothering her worse than ever. Once upon a time, when the world was simple and she had her loving family by her side, it would have been an easy choice. She would have gladly given up the Underground and see her family again, forsaking the friends she'd made here. In fact, she had made that choice last time, choosing her brother over everything that Jareth had offered her. But now, the circumstances were . . . different. Her family was the only thing, literally the only thing, she had to go back to in the Aboveground. She could live without her tedious job, her love life was nothing to be envied, and there was nothing she could think of worth returning to other than the family that loved her.

But her family was gone. As of now, at this very moment, they were gone where she could never see them again. They'd died in the Aboveground without her. Jareth had saved her before she could share their fate. Now she had spent several days in the Underground, a world where she had dear friends who cared for her. A world that was gradually turning her into one of its people. If she didn't make up her mind soon, she would be stuck here permanently. But in this world she'd felt happy for the first time in a long time. Her family's death was terrible, but she felt like she was coping with it here in a way the Aboveground wouldn't permit it. It was like the magic in the air was soothing the pain in her heart so that she could barely feel it until she'd accepted it as part of life.

Sarah stopped walking and leaned against the wall, a hand pressed to her lips. If she closed her eyes and looked deep in her heart of hearts, there was one thing that bound her to this place rather than the Aboveground. The one thing that she could have here that she could never have there . . . the one her heart longed for the most was . . .

_No!_ she moaned inwardly. _It can't be. It can't be Jareth! But I can't help it. Whenever I think of leaving him here, my heart aches in protest. How is this possible? When did this happen? When did I choose him?!_

But, maybe it's always been him, said another voice in the back of her mind. Maybe he was the reason she could never love another man completely. Maybe that's way he kept showing up in her dreams. Perhaps, in her heart of hearts, he'd always been there. He'd spent all this time hiding in the shadows of her heart, that one person she could never let go of or forget.

_But to forget my family!_ Sarah thought miserably. _I remember him for years and years and am unable to let him go but I'm just peachy with forgetting about my family!_

Whose making you forget? replied the voice, calmly. You don't have to forget them. That kind of love isn't something you just forget, even if they're dead. But it's different with him, you know it. Isn't what just happened in his room proof of that?

Still conflicting with herself, Sarah slid to the floor unable handle thinking too much anymore. No matter what she did, a large part of her heart would be lost to her no matter what she did.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth marched into his study, still flushed and slightly humiliated about what had happened between him and Sarah in his room moments ago. How could he be so unbelievably, undeniably, unbearably _stupid!_ Hadn't he firmly told himself ever since she got here that he was _never_ to act upon his feelings for her? Hadn't he expressly told himself that he was to keep the dark desires of his heart to himself and himself alone?

But there was no stopping it, really. There was no stopping what was happening between him and Sarah. She just . . . irked him. She vexed him in an unbearable manner that he couldn't handle. When she'd flown off the handle and started accusing him of having a hand in the accident, his fury had taken over. But then she'd figured out the truth, the truth she was never supposed to know, and that had been it. His passions had collided and he'd acted upon the more powerful of the two and had ended up showing her just how he felt. Sadly, that was the very last thing he'd wanted to do.

The door to his study swung open and his two goblin representatives, Phograss and Snodgrass, where looking into a mirror in which the High King's reflection was looking out at them.

"Leave us," said Jareth to the two goblins. They bowed and left at once, leaving Jareth and the High King alone. "So, to what do I owe this unexpected call, Your Excellency?"

"Jareth," said the High King. "Are you well?"

"Certainly," Jareth replied formally.

"Forgive my observations but you seem a bit . . . disheveled," said the High King, his eyes taking in Jareth's hastily put on vest and jacket and his slightly tousled hair.

_That's because you appeared so suddenly during at a very inconvenient time,_ Jareth thought bitterly. "I assure you all is well, Your Excellency."

The High King frowned slightly but went on. "Jareth, is what Zara says true? She claims that you've yet to send that human girl back to the Aboveground."

"I said that I would deal with the matter accordingly," said Jareth, wording things carefully. "To have sent her back immediately would have sent her back into a situation during which she would have suffered certain death. I was merely trying to . . . reorder things so that they would be more convenient for her."

"But it's has been days Jareth," said the High King. "Surely she's starting to adapt. You must work quickly or the poor thing will be trapped here."

"She . . . has been showing signs of . . . changing," said Jareth, trying not to think about it too much. "But she is fiery and stubborn to a fault. She seems to have a . . . er, slight desire to . . . remain here."

The High King stared at him, looking startled. "Jareth, surely you've explained to her what this world is like. What it is like for humans here? You know what could happen to her if she should make the full adaptation and live in this world permanently?"

"I know," said Jareth, with a slight growl in his voice. "Better than anybody. As do you, Your Excellency."

The High King lowered his eyes. "Yes . . . indeed we do. I apologize, Jareth. This girl is causing you trouble, is she? If it pleases you, I can simply send some soldiers over there to . . ."

"No!" said Jareth, too quickly. "I . . . no, Your Excellency. I shall . . . I'm dealing with things just fine on my own. I'm perfectly capable with this, I promise you."

"You seem a bit agitated," said the High King, turning his head slightly. "Does something vex you?"

_You've no idea_, Jareth grumbled in his mind. "I assure you, Your Excellency, I'm fine."

"Jareth," said the King, heavily. "Must you call me that even when no one is present?"

Jareth's eyes narrowed. "There is nothing else appropriate that I can refer you to. You are the ruler of the entire Underground and should therefore be addressed with the utmost respect no matter who addresses you."

"But you, Jareth . . ."

"Am also your subject and underling," said Jareth, pointedly. He'd had this kind of conversation with the High King many times. "Nothing more."

"That is a lie and we both know it," said the High King, with a slightly pained look. "Well, in any case, I want you to bring this girl to Zara's celebration tomorrow."

"What!?" said Jareth, thrown off his guard completely.

"I would like to meet her," said the King. "Bring her along with you tomorrow."

Jareth found himself glaring at the High King. "Why?" he asked, suspiciously.

"I told you, I wish to meet her," said the High King, simply. "Fear not, I won't harm her or send her back without your consent as well . . ."

"She doesn't need . . . my consent," said Jareth, finding it much harder to speak all of a sudden. "She . . . she's . . ."

There was a slight pause in which Jareth didn't know what else to say. But, perhaps letting the High King speak to her might get her to go home after all. That was what he'd been wanting all this time, of course. This had been . . . his plan . . . from the beginning.

"I'll have no argument on the matter," said the High King.

"Yes, Your Excellency," replied Jareth bitterly.

"Well, I shall see you at the festivities tomorrow then," said the High King. "Until then . . . Jareth." And thus he disappeared from the mirror.

Jareth sighed and looked back at the now empty mirror and allowed himself a wry smile. "Until then . . . Father."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Later that evening, as Sarah lay on her bed reading and trying to take her mind off things, there was a knock at the door. Expecting it to be Strootle with a cup of tea she'd requested, she placed her book and the Wisdom Lenses down before calling out, "Come in!" But it was not Strootle who walked in the door.

"Jareth!" cried Sarah, hoisting her blankets up slightly, aware that she was only wearing her flimsy nightgown. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I needed to speak to you," said Jareth, his mismatched eyes taking in her defensive position. "And to only speak to you. I promise you I haven't come in here with any malicious intentions."

"O-okay," said Sarah, not dropping her guard completely but lowering the blankets slightly so as to appear a bit friendlier. "W-what did you want to talk about?"

Jareth sighed slightly and sat down at the very foot of Sarah's bed. She flushed but he didn't seem to notice the intimacy of the movement. "Sarah, there is something I must attend tomorrow, the celebration of the High Princess's birthday."

"Oh, okay," said Sarah.

"The High King wants me to bring you along," said Jareth, lifting his eyes to look at her.

"What?! M-me?" said Sarah, startled. _What does the High King want with me? Is he mad that I'm still here after all this time? What if he wants me to make a decision right away?! No, I can't! I'm not ready yet! I still don't know what I want!_

"Sarah, I just came to give you notice in advance," said Jareth, a look of concern on his face. "The High King, despite how he may have appeared to you at the trial, is a just man. I'm confident he'll do you no harm."

"Yeah, is this the same High King that had an innocent person killed just because he caved into peer pressure?" Sarah asked, still panicking.

Jareth lowered his eyes to the blankets, looking weary. "Yes . . . this is the same man that I told you about when I explained the curse. He has given me his word that he'll not do anything harmful to you. He says he would just like to meet you."

"Meet me?" said Sarah, skeptically. "Why would he want that?"

"Probably because you're the first human he's seen in a long time," said Jareth. "And the guilt he's felt toward your race still irks him to this day and he feels the first chance he gets to apologize to someone who matters, he'll take his chances with you."

This stunned Sarah into silence. She hadn't thought of it like that. "Jareth," she asked, quietly. "You . . . and the High King . . . what are you? To each other that is?"

Jareth smiled a rather despicable smile. "Nothing of consequence. But, if you must know, I'm nothing more than the shameful result of his past exploits. Does that answer your question?"

Sarah thought a little, trying to decode his words. When she finally did, she looked up at him with a little gasp. "He's . . . he can't be . . . are you his . . . he . . . he's your _f__a_. . ."

"Well, it hardly matters," said Jareth standing up. "I simply thought you'd appreciate the knowledge beforehand. Goodnight, Sarah."

Sarah watched him start to head for the door and, before she could stop herself, she flung the covers off herself, got up, and ran over to him and grabbed him around the middle. Jareth took in a sharp breath and twisted around to look at her, stunned.

"Jareth," she said, breathlessly, unable to believe her own nerve. "A-about earlier . . . in your room . . . it didn't upset me or anything. I didn't mind it. It's just . . . urgh! I'm sorry, I . . . I'm just so confused and I don't know . . . what I really want to do. I don't know what I want to let go of yet but . . ."

She released him and walked around to face him straight on. He looked mostly surprised, but she could still see the subtle hint of desire hidden behind his eyes. "What I know for sure now," she said. "Is that . . . if I do as you say and go back home to my family . . . a part of me might just regret it for the rest of my life."

Jareth gaped at her, seemingly unable to believe what he'd heard. The look made her smile. Hardly aware of what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. It took only half a second for him to respond, his arms wrapping around her, holding her close. Oh, he just felt so good. It felt so good just to be in his arms. She was just so happy like this, happier than she'd ever been with anyone else. She deepened the kiss, wanting more of him, but Jareth pulled back slightly.

"Sarah . . . please do not tempt me," he murmured. "If we carry this too far, something you're not ready for will be the result. Just . . . some more time, please. Think carefully about what you want."

"How do you know this isn't what I want?" she asked quietly, not ready to be removed from his arms.

"You said yourself that you were confused," Jareth replied with a slight grin. Sarah cursed herself inwardly for that. "Just know this, my dear girl. All that I have left of my heart will not be able to take it if this goes too far . . . and you leave me again."

Now it was Sarah's turn to gap. She looked up at him, stricken, but his face was understanding, warm. "Think a little longer, my Sarah. Use every second you can to dwell on what you truly want. In the end, no matter what it is, I shall give it to you. All I ask is that, this time, you take my heart into consideration."

He pulled her closer and hugged her tightly. Then he kissed the top of her head, bid her goodnight, and left the room.


	12. King of Pain

**Day 9**

Sarah rummaged through her large wardrobe late in the afternoon on the ninth day in the Underground. The Princess's party was in a few hours and Sarah was currently, throwing dress after dress upon the floor and feeling absolutely agitated.

"Grr, I can't decide on anything!" she grumbled. "What do you think that girls down here wear to fancy events like this?"

"Why're ya askin' me?" Hoggle asked irritably, trying to escape from the mass of clothes that Sarah had thrown on top of him. "Do I look like I've been to a lot of fancy Fae shenanigans like this? Ya'll look plenty pretty no matter what ya wear. And what's this about the High King wantin' ya to come?"

"I don't know," said Sarah, holding up gown of shocking pink, examining it, and then throwing it on top of Hoggle's head without noticing. "Jareth just told me that he wants me to come. Urgh, I can't help it, I'm nervous! I'm not the party-attending type, at all! I even hated going to birthday parties when I was a kid! But this is the High Princess and the High King so it's not like I can just ignore it."

Hoggle grumbled a bit, pulling the discarded dress of his face and glowering up at Sarah. "You can ignore it just fine!" he told her. "High King Darius ain't the boss of you! As long as ya live here in the Labyrinth, it's Jareth you gotta listen to."

"But Jareth answers to the High King," Sarah reminded him. "Say Hoggle . . . is Jareth really . . . the High King's son?"

Hoggle stayed quiet for a moment. Unfortunately, his silence caused yet another discarded dress to be thrown into his face by Sarah. Grumbling loudly as he de-tangled himself from the skirt, he wrenched himself out and said, "That's what the rumor was. Jareth was never . . . formally recognized as anything special in the Fae Court, but everybody knew there was somethin' weird about him. The High King always treated him different than anybody else. He wouldn't let just anybody build a great big Labyrinth in the middle of the Underground, would he?"

"That's probably true," said Sarah, still searching for a proper outfit. "Jareth said something about him being a mistake . . . what do you think that means?"

"Well, I dunno," said Hoggle, shrugging. "I told ya before, Sarah. I don't get involved in Jareth's personal life for my own safe . . ." but the rest of his sentence was cut about by another discarded out fit. "_Would you stop throwin' yer stuff around?! I'm drowning in garments over here!_"

But Sarah was too deep in her thoughts to properly acknowledge him. Her mind had been on Jareth all day. He'd practically told her that he loved her as he left her room last night. That was twice he'd said something along those lines.

_"All I ask is that, this time, you take my heart into consideration."_

_"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."_

Now what was she supposed to do. She just couldn't ignore what he'd said, what he'd done. He'd saved her, he'd worked himself hard to find a way to send her back to her family that she'd lost, he'd kissed her, he'd practically told her he loved her . . . and it broke her heart, all of it. She'd never had to deal with a situation like this. Men in her life had had their hearts broken by her before. Good, sweet guys who had gone through time and effort to win her affection only to be shot down just when they thought they had it made. She'd let them down and hurt them, letting them walk away trying to figure out what they'd done wrong.

Not all of them had been so sweet though. After being tired of breaking the hearts of good men, she'd tried dating men like Paul and Ryan, where were more . . . well, more like the general man. The only problem with dating men like them was that they were impatient. They didn't respect her wishes and she'd caught both of them cheating on her with women more willing to deliver, leading to very uncomfortable, messy breakups.

Jareth wasn't like that, though. He wasn't overly sweet and thoughtful like Eric, but he wasn't the general man with one thing on his mind, either. He was willing to give her everything her heart desired, but he wanted her heart in return. He wasn't sensitive, but harsh, calculating and had the capability for cruelty. But he wasn't mean or harmful, he was patient and understanding and would brave whatever curse the Underground threw in his way than allow harm to come to her. He was the perfect mixture, and Sarah could feel her heart longing for him. If he had given her the choice to go or to stay the very first day she was here, it would only have been too easy. Now it was almost too hard.

"I give up," said Sarah, closing the wardrobe and sighing. "Hoggle, I'm going to go a walk for a bit. I need get my head straight before I make any more decisions."

"Don't mind me," the dwarf grumbled as she left the room. "I'll just stay trapped in this mess until ya get back, shall I?"

Sarah merely made a sound in the back of her throat as she left the room and her feet took her around the halls, up and down several of the Escher room's stairways, and randomly over the castle. She only stopped when she heard a voice speaking to her.

"Decision's still up in the air, is it, Sarah?"

Sarah spun around. "Tecla!" she cried. "What are you doing here?"

The Imp King was leaning against a wall, small arms folded against her chest and a frown on her face. "All the Kings are supposed to make an appearance at Zara's party," said Tecla. "I thought I'd drop by here first 'cause I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh," said Sarah, a little confused. "About what?"

Tecla sighed. "Sarah, imps don't have secrets," she said. "We never keep anything from anyone. We can't even if we wanted to. Our powers to see into others minds are the cause of that. So, when I look into minds like Jareth's, who has more secrets than I can count, I sometimes say things that without thinking."

"Like the other day," said Sarah.

"Exactly," said Tecla. "Now, the Royal Family has a magic that stops my kind from seeing into their minds. Jareth had that power too, but once he became Goblin King and my kingdom's ally, he shut it off and allowed me to see into his thoughts. It was an act of good faith, on his part, exposing his mind to me. Ever since I wanted to protect his secrets and I blew it the other day."

"Tecla," said Sarah. "If you think what you said the other day was some kind of, I don't know, some kind of betrayal, I'm sure he doesn't . . ."

"Well, he doesn't now," said Tecla, rolling her vast orange eyes. "He's kinda given up on keeping stuff hidden from you. He told you about his connection with the High King, anyway."

"How did you . . .?"

"No offense, Sarah, but your mind is kind of an open book," said Tecla. "I'm just asking you to be careful. When Jareth said he'd do what you wanted, he meant it. He means just about everything he says to you. You mean a lot to him, but just remember that he means a lot to these guys."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the Labyrinthians," said Tecla. "Last time you left, Jareth was really out of it for a really long time. It affected this place. If something happens to Jareth, the Crown Prince will see to the destruction of the Labyrinth in the blink of an eye. This is the only home these creatures have, Sarah. They can't live without it."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, startled.

"Renning hates Jareth with a passion and vise versa," said Tecla, darkly. "He hates how Jareth takes anybody he wants into the Labyrinth, which is free of the Royal Court's jurisdiction, allowing them to be safe from Renning. But that's only as long as Jareth's in charge. If something happens to Jareth, these creatures are done for."

"Done for?" said Sarah. "What do you mean? Let's say, for the sake of argument that something does happen and something happens to Jareth so that he can't be Goblin King anymore. Can't they just have a new King?"

"The fact that the Labyrinth is free of the Court's jurisdiction is due to an agreement between the High King and Jareth," said Tecla. "If something happens to one of them, that contract is terminated. Sarah, when the worlds split and humans vanished into their own world, goblins took their place as bottom link in the food chain."

"What?!"

"Yes. It's not as violent as the hatred for humans was, but goblins had no place to go and nowhere to live. Nobody wanted them at all. Then Jareth created the Goblin City for them and then they finally got noticed and a little more respected. He built the Labyrinth as an ultimate defense in case anyone threatened them. He's been letting other creatures live here too," Tecla looked up into Sarah's face, looking very serious. "Like those three friends of yours."

"What about my friends?" said Sarah, startled.

"Let me put it this way," said Tecla. "Dwarves and Yelkies are two races who have a great deal of pride in certain characteristics about them. With dwarves it's beards, with Yelkies, it's their sense of smell."

"But Hoggle doesn't have a beard," said Sarah, remembering Tecla's constant taunting last time she was here. "And Didymus . . ."

"Can't smell," said Tecla, nodding. "How do you think he lost his eye?"

"You're kidding!" Sarah gasped. "Didymus lost his eye from his own kind?"

"He failed a mission of honor due to the fact he can't smell," said Tecla, seriously. "He was punished for his failure and lost his eye. After that, he came here and took the only job that he could. Jareth was glad because he was the only one who could stand being the guardian of the bog. Didymus didn't mind. He was thrilled to accept this honor, to be acknowledged by Jareth, and as you know he can't tell just how awful that place is."

"And Hoggle was thrown out because he doesn't have a beard!" Sarah cried, furiously. "That's awful!"

"Well, he wasn't thrown out," said Tecla. "He just left because he couldn't take the stress. I mean, even dwarf _girls_ have beards. For him not to have one, of course he was singled out. Then, of course is that little chef. This is the only place, literally, that would allow a half-an-half like him a decent job and a peaceful life. And that Stone-Caller accidently ruined the house of family of minotaurs. He barely made it out of there alive. If he hadn't run into the Labyrinth at the last second, those minotaurs would have killed him. That's what this place is full of, singled-out, unwanted outcasts."

Sarah lowered her eyes, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Outcasts," she said. "That's . . . that's really sad to think about."

"This place is their haven, Sarah," said Tecla. "Without it, they've nowhere to go. So, please, take it easy on Jareth. Without him, this place will crumble. It's made entirely out of his magic. It can't survive without him."

"So, what happened when I beat it last time?" Sarah asked.

"Well, every creature here has tried to beat the Labyrinth," said Tecla. "Not because they've wished someone away, but because they wanted to earn the right to stay. If they beat it, they were free to live as Jareth's equals. If they lost, they serve as his inferiors. When you won last time, you were free from Jareth's power. He couldn't rule over you like the rest of these guys. Instead, you became his equal and even now . . . he's powerless against you."

Sarah lowered her eyes. That actually made a lot of sense. However . . . "Tecla, the last time, Jareth told me that he was being . . . generous toward me. He said that he'd been doing everything for me. What did that mean?"

Tecla chewed her bottom lip slightly. "I don't think I outta be the one to say that, Sarah," she said. "That's for Jareth to explain. Just remember what I told you about the Labyrinth and the creatures here. Jareth will be leaving for the Palace soon. The dress you were looking for should be in your closet by now. Well, I'll see you later." With that, Tecla vanished from where she stood.

The little Imp King had been right. Once Sarah got back to her room, finding Hoggle had long since detangled himself and left, she'd found the perfect dress waiting for her inside. It was white and beautiful with a diamond pattern around the front, long sleeves, and made from a light, flowy material for comfort. After putting it on and doing her hair and make up, Sarah looked in the mirror and marveled at what she saw. She looked quite a bit like she had in that strange dream she'd had the last time she was here, after Hoggle had given her that peach of Jareth's. Only this time it was more modern and much less puffy. Still, it made her feel just like she had in that dream, like she was the loveliest person there.

Sarah had just finished and was now watching twilight fall upon the Labyrinth outside when she heard a knock on her door. When Sarah called for whoever it was to come in did she receive another serious déjà vu from that strange dream. Jareth was standing at her door, wearing that same sparkling, midnight blue suit that he'd had then. Sarah couldn't remember finding anything, or anyone, to be so strikingly handsome as he was and by the way his eyes looked her up and down, she knew that he approved of her appearance just as greatly as she approved of his.

"H-how do . . . I look?" Sarah asked, shyly and unnecessarily.

Jareth gave her one of his enigmatic smirks as he came over, took hold of her hand and very slowly raised it to his mouth where he pressed his lips against her knuckles. "Stunning," he replied, softly. "Absolutely stunning."

Sarah felt a strange tugging feeling in her chest as she blushed furiously.

"I truly wish that you didn't have to go through with this pointless event," he said, a little more solemnly. "Fortunately, we won't be attending the main celebration. The High King wishes to meet you in the manse while I make an appearance at the castle. When he's finished speaking to you and enough people can confirm I was there, we can return here, alright?"

"Good," said Sarah. "I didn't really want to mingle with other Fae much, seeing as I'm mostly still human."

Jareth's eyes traveled up and down her again. This time, rather than taking in her beauty, he seemed to be noticing the fact that she wasn't quite as human as she used to be. Noticing the differences in her skin tone, the framework of her face, the almond-shape of her eyes, and the slight point of her ears. Still, as a Fae himself, he could still tell that she was slightly different than a full Fae and he was sure the rest of the population would notice them too.

"Let's be off than," said Jareth, offering her his arm, which she took, blushing again.

"How are we getting there?" Sarah asked. "The palanquin again?"

"Not this time," said Jareth. "We'll be going by means of magic. It's quicker and much more convenient for coming and going in a rush."

"What do I have to do?" Sarah asked, puzzled. "I can't do magic."

"All you have to do is hold to me," said Jareth. "I can take the both of us. Now hold tightly to me . . . and you may want to close your eyes."

Feeling uneasy, she did so. Jareth summoned one of his crystals and dropped it to the floor. It circled around them, starting to glow very brightly. Just as the crystal circled the two of them three times and gave off a particularly blinding gleam, they vanished.


	13. Memories part 1

Before she knew it, Sarah and Jareth were outside the very same palace that she'd been brought to when the Cyclops had taken her and Hoggle to court. It was much more splendid in the evening, its crystalline windows full of sparkling light and she could here a multitude of people talking inside. That must be Zara's party going on in there. Jareth was already looking like he'd very much like to just leave. His upper lip was twitching slightly as if he were holding back a sneer.

"Just a second, Sarah," said Jareth. "Phograss, Snodgrass, aren't you here yet!?"

Almost out of nowhere, two goblins appeared. Sarah recognized them as the two that represented Jareth in the Court. They were smarter looking than the rest of their kind and both spoke in official, yet squeaky voices.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Phograss. "What would you have of us?"

"The High King wishes a word with Sarah here in the Royal manse," he said. "See that she gets there safely."

"Yes, sire," said Snodgrass, bowing.

"And," Jareth bent closer to the goblins and spoke so quietly that Sarah almost didn't catch it. "Keep an eye on things, won't you?"

"Certainly, sir," said Phograss. "Come, come, human girly. We shall escort you to the manse. Enjoy the festivities, Your Majesty."

"Thank you," said Jareth, then he turned back to Sarah. "I won't be too long. Only about an hour or so than I'll leave, alright?"

"Okay," said Sarah, her nerves jittering about in her stomach. ". . . er, have fun," she added with a little smile. Jareth smiled back and lightly touched her cheek before turning away and heading toward the castle.

"This way, lady, this way," said Snodgrass, tugging slightly at her skirt.

"Oh, alright," said Sarah, hurrying along.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The atmosphere could only be described as utter hell. Jareth looked around the palace that he loathed, looking around at people he loathed, and putting on a fake demeanor to let them all think that he was enjoying himself. He used several tactical moves to avoid more of those simpering little twits they called courtiers and finally made his way to where Zara and her well-wishers sat.

"Ah, Jareth, you came," said Zara, when she noticed him. "Thank you for coming. It is . . . quite nice to see you again."

"Always a pleasure, my Princess," he said, inclining his head to her slightly.

"Well, well, there he is," said the voice of the one he despised the most. Renning was there, wearing a fine white and gold suite with an emerald at his throat. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail and his blue eyes were cold as ice as they examined him.

"Come to crash my little sister's festivities, Goblin King?" Renning asked, eyeing Jareth with nothing but dislike.

"Not at all," said Jareth, keeping things polite despite the air of hatred that pulsed through the air. "I've merely come to offer my acknowledgements to the Princess. She granted me personal invitation and so I've come on that request."

"Hm, how courteous of you," said Renning, stiffly. "Who would have thought such a minor king of such a vulgar race of creatures could have such manners. I admit to being pleasantly surprised."

"I, too, find myself surprised," said Jareth, feeling hot anger boiling up slowly within him. "To think that one who will soon bare the High King's crown and rule all the Underground could lack any manners whatsoever. Makes minor, vulgar kings like me look almost sophisticated."

"Brother, Jareth, please," said Zara, as Renning's face twisted with fury and Jareth grinned challengingly.

"Ah, there you are Renning and Zara, my dears. And who else . . .?"

Jareth's trained eyes immediately went to the ground as this new voice spoke. He was not allowed to look High Queen Presea in the eye and never did to keep the peace. Though he wasn't allowed to make eye contact with her, he knew that she was the crème-de la-crème of all Fae women. Her golden hair falling in ringlets down her back, her face was chiseled perfection, and sapphire eyes that gleamed brightly when the light was just right. At first look anyone could be charmed by her beauty, but Jareth knew her to be haughty, proud, jealous, and vain. He also knew that, other than Renning, there probably wasn't anyone in the Underground who hated him more than she did.

"Ah, Goblin King," she said, in her silvery voice. "You've come, have you?"

"I . . . I invited him here, Mother," said Zara, swiftly. "Personally."

"Did you now?" said Presea. "How very kind of you, Zara my dear. Did you thank your Princess, Goblin King?"

"But that is the very reason I've come, Your Excellency" said Jareth, focusing on the queen's ruby skirts and sparkling shoes. "After a personal invitation, how could I not come? I was merely offering her my thanks when Renning . . ."

"That's _Crown Prince_ Renning, Goblin King," Presea corrected him, coldly.

"Yes, of course," said Jareth, hiding his anger under a carefully controlled calm. "As I said, I was thanking Zara for her generosity when _Crown Prince_ Renning dropped by."

"Why must he be here, sister?" Renning asked Zara, loud enough for Jareth to hear. "Lowly scum like him does not deserve to be in this Palace. That was made clear long ago."

"I was hoping to keep peace, my brother," said Zara, simply. "Besides, I did believe that Father would want to see him."

"The High King is not here now," said Presea, harshly. "He said he had business to take care of. Goblin King, take your leave. Frolic about with some of the courtiers or whatever it is that you do."

"By your leave then, Your Excellency," said Jareth, bowing lower to her than he had to either Renning or Zara. He quickly left the remainder of the Royal Family and took several breaths to soothe the anger that Renning and Presea always seemed to give him. It was still far too soon to go to the manse and take Sarah home. He was worried about her and what the High King wanted with her. Still, even he had to admit, of everyone in the Royal Family the one he trusted most was the King.

Jareth looked around at the multitude of guests, feeling agitated and disgruntled. He didn't know how he was going to keep up this façade much longer. The dreadful Cadma had spotted him and was now making her way through the crowd toward him, already flashing him the most revolting of 'come hither' looks. He groaned. It was going to be a long night.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"In here, my lady."

Phograss and Snodgrass bowed low as the doors to the Royal manse. The manse was set about thirty feet away from the palace, hidden in the shadows. It was a tall building with a domed roof and windows glittering around the top, almost like a lighthouse. Sarah looked around, nervously. "Where's the High King?"

"Probably inside," said Snodgrass. "You just go in."

"Aren't you guys coming too?" Sarah asked, tentatively.

"Nope," said Phograss. "We're not allowed. Fear not, my lady, the High King is a just man. The Goblin King wouldn't be sending you inside here if he thought you would be in any danger."

Sarah let out a little 'humph' of disbelief, thinking of the poor human executed on this same king's orders and thus causing the Underground to be cursed.

"We would go in with you, miss," said Snodgrass. "But not is we only the King's representatives, we's his spies. It be our job to watch over Royal Family, Crown Prince 'specially, and see what they's doing."

"We also make the Prince believe we's work for him, not the King," said Phograss. "We was the ones who let slip ya's was still heres. Well, we must be a-dashing. Good luck, miss."

The two goblin brothers hurried off, leaving Sarah alone and nervous as she stepped into the open doors in front of her and walked through.

Sarah stared around at the beautiful insides of the Royal manse. It was shaped just like the churches of the Aboveground with domed ceilings and long benches leading up to an alter with a cushion set at the base for one to kneel on. The floors were made of blue and green marble and the walls were supported by rows of long pillars of black stone. In the back of the large room was an array of stone effigies, some male, some female, some human-shaped, some creatures. One effigy stood in the foreground before the others. It was shaped like a woman wearing a circlet and six large wings protruding from her back. As Sarah looked closer at the statue, she saw that the figure had the almond-shaped eyes and pointed ears of a Fae.

"That is Theophania," said a deep voice from behind her. "She is the Deity of the Fae race here in the Underground."

Sarah turned around and found herself in the presents of the High King himself. Sarah gasped and then lowered herself into a bow before him, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"I do not expect such formalities from you," he said. "Stand tall and look me in the eye, my dear girl. I wish to have a decent look at you."

Sarah did as she was told, looking into the bearded face of the High King. His eyes traveled up and down her, taking in the things that the Underground had changed about her, like the shape of her eyes and ears. He then looked down at the diamond-spangled gown she was wearing and at her hands that were folded modestly in front of her.

"I see the Underground has already started to turn you into a part of it," he said, quietly. "I . . . apologize for any discomfort you've had to endure."

"It's alright," said Sarah. "Ja . . . I mean, the Goblin King has been taken very good care of me."

"But, I must ask, why is he caring for you?" Darius asked, turning his head slightly in a vaguely familiar way. "I was under the impression that he was to send you back to your home world when he took you from the Court all those days ago."

Sarah's eyes lowered slightly, unable to look at the High King.

_"Because I couldn't bear to watch you die."_

"The Goblin King is keeping me in the castle because . . . I've asked him to," she said, slowly. "I was brought here because . . . well, it was to save my life. If I was sent back when I had come, I would have been sent back straight into that situation where . . . I would have died. I've . . . begged the Goblin King to reorder time in the Aboveground and send me back to whenever I pleased."

She glanced back up at him, hoping she'd made the lie convincing. Something must have given her away because Darius was still looking curious, but did not say anything. He turned his attention to the statue of Theophania and lowered his head in prayer.

"I come here almost every evening," he said, softly. "I come asking for repentance for my mistakes. I . . . have been a foolish king, young girl. I broke my promise to the Deities and have brought their wrath upon us all."

"Your . . . promise?" Sarah asked, puzzled. "What kind of promise?"

"There is a day hailed here in the Underground as the Solstice," he said. "It is a day that comes only when it is time for the High King to pass the crown to his worthy heir. Whenever an heir is to take the throne of the Underground, Theophania appears unto him."

"She . . . appears?!" said Sarah, amazed.

"Yes," said Darius, looking back up at the statue. "This is the form she came in when I received the crown from my uncle many, many years ago. He had no son of his own and therefore I was given the Right and at the Solstice, Theophania come to me in this form. Her form changes with every Solstice, you see. When the crown is passed on, a deal is made."

"What kind of deal might that be?" Sarah asked.

"The High King must vow to forever place the world before all else," said Darius, looking up at Theophania's likeness. "In exchange this the Deities grant the King their powers in the form of a wish. I wished for the gift of prosperity for my people, and they granted it to me."

Darius took his eyes off the effigy and looked at Sarah. "Do you see where my wish went wrong? It brought about the great discrimination between those races with magic and those without. I was stupid enough to ignore what was going on from under my very nose. The Deities came to me in a dream, Theophania among them, and warned me that I was not keeping my end of the bargain I made with them when I received my crown. They threatened to undo everything I wished for and to put an end to this chaotic hatred that threatened all those without magic to become extinct."

"Yes, Ja . . . I mean, the Goblin King told me about that," Sarah said. "He's insisted more than once that I go back home but . . . I can't find any desire to do so."

"You would rather live in a world of damnation?" Darius asked, looking over at her.

"I . . . well . . . I . . .," Sarah couldn't find any answer to that question. She couldn't very well tell him the truth. That Jareth had saved her and that she was falling for him was not something for the High King to know. After a moment's silence, Darius spoke again.

"I don't know if Jareth would have told you," he said. "But if you do make the transformation from human to Fae, you would be the second person to do so?"

Sarah looked at him, startled. "No," she said. "Someone else has done this before?"

"Just one other," said Darius. "Long ago, when the curse took place, a human elected to stay behind in the Underground rather than travel to the Aboveground with the rest of her kin. She became a Fae after thirteen days, just as you will should you stay here that long. That," he looked past Sarah and over at the wall, "is her over there."

Sarah turned and saw something she hadn't noticed before. A portrait of a very pretty woman with long hair tied in a loose braid that fell over her shoulder. She was sitting down with her hands folded in her lap in a puffy, lacy gown Sarah had seen on women around the 1600's when she studied history. She had soft eyes and a small smile on her lips and just by looking at her, Sarah got the feeling that she was a very warm, gentle person.

"Her name was Rose," said Darius, still looking at the portrait. "She was a cleric who lived in this manse."

"She's . . . so lovely," said Sarah, honestly. "And she was a human, originally."  
"Yes," said Darius. "That portrait was made after she became a Fae. But prior to that, she was human. Her beginnings in this world were not kind. Her human father had debts to pay and, fearing his life would be taken by those he owed, he sold Rose and her mother to a brothel."

"You're kidding!" gasped Sarah.

"I'm afraid I am not," said Darius, grimly. "But Rose never set foot in there. Her mother managed to hide her daughter from them and she escaped. After that, however, she never saw her family again. She was found by a small, human church and they took her in and taught her to worship the Deities. But then, the church was attacked by an arsonist, a Fae who had simply been looking for fun. Rose managed to escape a terrible fate yet again and this time . . . she came to me."

"To you?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," said Darius. "I found her unconscious not far from the palace gates the morning after her church had been destroyed. It was the church's destruction that lead the Deities to come to me and warn me that I was breaking my vow as High King. When I found Rose outside the gates I thought maybe this could be a chance to redeem myself slightly in their eyes. I took her in and gave her room in the manse where she could serve me and my family as well as continue her practices to the Deities."

Sarah looked back over at the portrait. It was hard to believe someone who had suffered so much would want to stay in the world that had done her so many wrongs. "Why did she stay?" she asked, aloud. "What could make her want to stay?"

Darius didn't answer right away. "I asked her that myself. She was present that terrible day when that poor man was killed wrongly. I . . . will never forget the disappointment in her eyes. Never. She was always so kind and her heart so loving. To see me make that terrible error was disappointing and painful to her. Yet, she stayed. She begged the Deities, as their servant, to grant her the chance to stay. They granted her request, but did not wish her to suffer. So they made her one of us in the hopes that she would not suffer anymore hardships.

"She stayed here in the manse, continuing to work and live and serve the Royal Family. I watched over her as she did so. She was such a gentle being. I asked her many times why she made the choice she did, but it wasn't until many years after she became a Fae did she finally tell me the reason why."

"What was that reason?" Sarah asked.

Darius lowered his eyes to the ground. "It was because . . . she had given her heart to someone she thought could never return it."

"Her heart?"

"Yes," said Darius. "Back when she was a human and it continued even when she became a Fae. You see, we find true love only once, us Fae. When we find the one who we love more than anything else in this world, we give them our hearts. If they return our affection, then it is a love that can last forever. If it is not returned, then we are, how you say, stuck. We can live without love but it is an emotionally painful and lonely existence."

Sarah looked over at Rose's portrait, then down at the floor, remembering something that made her feel very, very sick all of a sudden.

_"Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."_

**Ying-Fa: Hey, people! Sorry for such an abrupt ending but this chapter was stretching _way too long!_ So, I decided to split it into two chapters. Don't worry. The next one is just about finished and I'll be posting it within the next day or so. Don't miss part 2, whatever you do! I thank you for your patience.**


	14. Memories part 2

**Ying-Fa: I am so sorry for the wait. I would have updated this much sooner if the site had let me! Stupid, stupid glitches! Anyway, here it is. Please, read and review!**

"Are you alright?"

Sarah looked over at the High King. He was watching her with an odd look on his face, rather like someone trying to solve a complex math solution or complete a difficult puzzle and was on the verge of victory. Sarah forced any emotion out of her face. "I . . . I'm fine," she lied. "Please, go on. Keep telling me about Rose."

Darius nodded. "Rose had surrendered her heart to a man who she was sure would never return her affections. Even so, she wished to stay in the same world as the one she gave her heart to. She wished never to be parted from him, her admiration was so great."

"Wait," said Sarah, suddenly. "She . . . fell in love with a Fae? That's bold of her."

The High King chuckled. "You've no idea. Regardless, she desired to be by his side always and love him from the shadows. He remained oblivious to her affection until the world split apart. The fact that she stayed behind, that she was the only human to stay behind, struck his curiosity. He beseeched that she tell him the reason why she stayed."

"What did she say?" Sarah asked, interested in where this would lead.

"She said," Darius's voice faded slightly. "She said that it was because she wished to forever be by his side. She stayed for the sake of the one she cared for most . . . for both the man she loved . . . and the King she wished to serve."

It took Sarah a whole three seconds to put the pieces together. When she did, her hand flew to her mouth. "You," she gasped. "She was in love with you!"

Darius nodded slowly. Upon closer inspection, Sarah thought he looked rather old and sad. Despite the perfect, unflawed skin of his face and his gemstone-studded garments, there was something about his hunched position and his sad expression that made him seem weak-chinned and aged.

Darius closed his eyes, remembering well that day:

_"My only desire is to stay by your side," Rose said, keeping her eyes to the floor as she knelt before him. "Perhaps the feelings I have for one such as you are evil, but I don't care. I only ask, My King, that you allow me to stay in your service and by your side. I need nothing from you but your willingness to keep me beside you."_

_Darius gaped at this bold young being. Once a human, but now a Fae, and now kneeling at his feet and claiming to love him so deeply that she would forsake her own kind and stay in a world where people like her suffered only hardship._

_"I do not understand you," he said. "How can you have any affection for a Fae, for me? You have suffered so much from my kind already, and now after my terrible mistakes that lead your kind to leave this world without you. How can you not feel anything but contempt for me?"_

_"Humans are my former kind," said Rose and though her head was bowed and her long hair was hiding most of her face, he could tell she was smiling sweetly. "I am a Fae now, My King. My King, it was not you who forced my father to forsake me and my mother. It was not you who stole my mother from me forever. It was not you who burned down the chapel. No, you have done me not a single wrong."_

_"But my kind . . ." Darius started, wanting only to understand her, to know why she felt this way and said such things._

_"You are but one person, My King, not all people," Rose replied, quietly. "And you have bestowed upon me more kindness than anyone I've ever known in all this world. You took me in when you could have left me for dead. You gave me a purpose, something to do with my life. You have kept me healthy and allowed me to live in this beautiful manse. It would be wrong of me not to love you simply for all the things you have done for me. You are a kind person, My King. You tried to make the rest of the Fae see reason but it was their blind eye that lead to the world being split."_

_Darius stared at her. Rose simply bowed even lower before him until she was on her knees and elbows before him. "I beseech of you, My King. Let me stay by your side. That is all I need in this world. Please, my beloved King."_

"She was always such a gentle spirit," said Darius, returning to the present and continuing to talk to Sarah. "How could I deny her the simple desire as to remain close and serve me? I allowed her to stay and, just as she'd watched me, I now watched over her. I began to notice her, the tender person she was. Slowly, without meaning to, I gave my heart to her just as she had given hers to me."

"What?!" Sarah gasped. "You fell in love with her? But what about your wife and . . ."

"Presea and I were not married for love," said Darius. "We were married for circumstance. I had ruled without a queen for a considerable time and the Court insisted I find a mate. Since I failed to give my heart to any of those hopeful courtiers who were brought before me, one was chosen for me. That was Presea. I remember well that our first conversation as man and wife was also the first of many arguments to come. I was unhappy with her, but couldn't break the laws that bound us together. In the end, I put our differences aside long enough for her to give me a son, Renning, and later our daughter, Zara. After that, I absorbed myself in my work as High King and she spent her nights in the arms of other men."

"I . . . I'm sorry," said Sarah, awkwardly. "I d-didn't know . . . I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize for one's own curiosity," said Darius, lightly. "I'm sure, as a woman, you would be appalled by my actions. But you must understand. Rose loved me as a man, not a king. To be loved for who you are is a wondrous thing that I thought I'd never have. I adored her for that. But our love couldn't be celebrated, but kept extremely secret. Very few knew of what was going on. My children were kept out of the secret. Presea seemed to know that I had a mistress but, as she is quite as guilty of breaking her marital vows as I am, she had nothing to say. Meanwhile, I enjoyed every moment I could in Rose's company. But then, something happened to put an end to that bit of happiness I had obtained. The Deities saw fit to punish me further, I'm sure."

"What happened?" Sarah asked, though she had a feeling she knew where this was going. She had a feeling that they were about to discuss _him_ very soon . . .

"Rose became with child," said Darius, heavily. "She was thrilled but I was unsure. Infants all over the Underground were being miscarried and brought forth stillborn by the day. I prayed that the Deities let the child live. I swore that I would repay them for all my faults and make up for our broken pact. But my prayers were unanswered.

"Rose gave birth and the child, my son, was dead before he could take his first breath."

Sarah gaped at him. That wasn't what she'd been expecting him to say. She had been sure that he was going to say that the child was . . .

"We . . . were both devastated, Rose and I. But my grief was nothing to hers. When I had left to pray for the child's soul, I once again heard screams of agony coming from Rose's room. I returned there at once, but when I got there, Rose was dead. She had succumbed to the terrible death that we Fae must now endure . . . while the son she'd given to me lay crying beside her."

"What?" said Sarah. "I thought you said that child was dead."

"Do you not understand what Rose did?" Darius asked. "She'd made yet another request of the Deities. She asked them to take her life in exchange for giving life to our son. Since life is so limited in the Underground, she offered up her own to make room for him. It was a sacrifice only a mother could make . . . and only a woman with Rose's compassion could stand. Our son was granted a chance to live and, as you may have already guessed, he grew into the very same man who has been allowing you to live in his castle."

"Jareth," Sarah whispered, raising a hand to her mouth.

"Yes," said Darius. "Jareth is my only son with the woman I loved. I think Rose felt that, since she could never be my wife, the least she could do as my beloved is give me a child whom I could bestow my legacy upon. Jareth always seemed to know, even when he was very young, that his was not an existence to be celebrated.

"He grew up here, in this manse that his mother had also called home. He rarely associated with any of the rest of the Fae. His attendants here were comprised of nymphs, dwarves, centaurs, and various other creatures of the Underground. Creatures, in other words, that did not care that he was the illicit son of the High King. There was even a very learned goblin who taught Jareth his skills in magic. Jareth was, and is today, very skilled in magic. His skills were profound and his intellect sharp. I suppose that, among other things, which lead to the strong dislike between him and my son Renning."

Darius stood from kneeling at the alter and looked over at Sarah. "Renning and Jareth are two very different men and, since the first moment they laid eyes upon each other, they despised one another passionately. I suppose it had something to do with Presea. She thought the very fact that Jareth was alive was a sin to be purged. So I kept him sheltered here in the manse. I kept him safe and attended to his every need. I spoiled him, somewhat, in an attempt to show him that I, at least, wanted him in this world.

"When he was full grown, I offered him any kingdom he desired. It was the most I could do for him. He made it clear that he did not want to keep living among the Fae, so I gave him free choice of whatever kingdom he wanted. He chose to make himself King over the goblins and so took over their kind as their leader. He then created the vast Labyrinth to keep out anyone and everyone who might do him wrongly. Wise of him, I think, seeing as Renning and Presea's hatred of him burns as furiously today as it did when he was young."

Sarah stood there, slightly overcome by the weight of the story the High King had just told her. She never knew. He hadn't let anything show, ever. He'd never let anything slip. Not once had Jareth ever let her know just what he'd gone through when he was young. But, it made sense. His mother had been a human, but had changed into a Fae, just like Sarah was doing now. She'd made the transformation to be with the one she loved. But she'd died. She'd given up her life so that she could make room in this limited world for her child.

The High King watched Sarah silently for a few minutes. "Even after he took up his own kingdom, I have kept a careful watch over my son," he said, finally. "I watched him grow even more powerful in his freedom. But, a few years ago, something happened that made me extremely concerned. For quite some time, he locked himself in his castle and refused any visitors, including myself. I could feel his power waning and his lands were going into decline. I went to the Labyrinth and found him so emaciated he could barely stand."

Sarah looked up at him shocked. _Don't tell me . . .!_

"I recognized the symptoms of his ailment," said Darius. "I, myself, suffered them once. It was what happens to a Fae who gave up their heart to another . . . who was lost to them forever."

_Wait,_ Sarah thought, panicking. _That wasn't . . . you don't mean . . ._

"I helped get him back on his feet," said Darius, his face expressionless. "Before long, he was something like his regular self again. He flatly refused to tell me what had happened or just who had done this to him. I have asked him time and time again, but he wouldn't say a thing on the matter. It was only recently, when he came into our courtroom on the behalf of a dwarf and a lone human girl did I think I had the answer."

Sarah didn't dare look at the High King anymore. She lowered her eyes, her hands still clasped over her mouth, her eyes growing wet.

"He'd given his heart to a human girl," said Darius, bluntly. "It was the only thing that made sense. I knew that Jareth had found a way to travel to the Aboveground. He could go in the form of an owl and visit the realm and, perhaps, appear if a human called for him directly. And one did call him. You did, didn't you, young woman?"

Sarah, still terrified of what was to happen next, merely nodded slowly. She then lowered her hands and spoke. "In . . . the Aboveground . . . there was a book. It talked about . . . a Labyrinth . . . and a King of the Goblins . . . how is that possible?"

"Our worlds were one, once," said Darius. "Perhaps some remnants of the truth linger in the fantasies of the Aboveground. If it is true, then most of what happened must have been mostly coincidence. But something you did earned you Jareth's heart, his love everlasting. What was it?"

"I . . . r-ran . . . the Labyrinth," stammered Sarah, still keeping her eyes lowered. "And I w-w-won."

"You bested the Labyrinth," breathed the High King. "Yes. Yes, that makes sense. You see, not only is the Labyrinth an impenetrable defense and safeguard of his city, but it is also a test for someone of equal power and glory as the one who created it. For you to have bested it, it would make you the same, his equal. It would make you, perhaps, the only woman suitable . . . to be his bride."

Sarah gasped. Darius went on. "The further you went into that maze, the further you progressed, the more in love with you he fell. But, you returned to your home and left him to rot?"

"I didn't mean to hurt him!" Sarah cried, looking back up at the High King, beseechingly. "You don't understand! I was trying to rescue my . . . my brother. I wished the goblins would take him away and . . . and they did! They came and took him away! I . . . I was so scared. I wanted him back! I would have done anything to get him back. I said the lines in the story and . . . I didn't realize at the time that Jareth was being sincere! I never thought all of this would happen! I just wanted to right the wrong I'd made against my brother. I didn't know that he actually . . . that he . . . I didn't know what his intentions were!"

There was a long pause. The High King didn't look angry or insulted by Sarah's behavior. He seemed passive and tired. Sarah's heart was pounding in her chest. She was terrified of what the King would do next. But, before anything could happen between the two of them, the doors to the manse opened.

"I think you've interrogated her quite long enough, Your Excellency."

Sarah turned to see who had come and her heart fluttered. Jareth was coming over towards them, his sparkling blue suit glittering as he walked. He was eyeing the High King with a kind of sharp disapproval. Darius turned to look at Jareth and nodded to him.

"Yes, I've had all of my questions answered," said the High King. "You may take her back with you now, Jareth."

"Thank you," said Jareth, putting an arm around Sarah's shoulders. "Come, Sarah. Let's go."

"O-okay," said Sarah, awkwardly.

"I would, perhaps, like just one more private word with the girl before you whisk her away," said the High King. "When I have said my piece, I shall send her out to you."

"Your Excellency," said Jareth, sharply.

"That is an order, Jareth," said Darius, just as sharply. For that moment, it was quite obvious that the two were father and son.

"All right then," said Jareth, grudgingly as he turned and left the room once more.

"Wh-what . . . would you like to say . . . Your . . . um, Excellency," said Sarah, awkwardly.

"I only ask that you treat my son's heart with goodness," said Darius. Sarah stared at him, surprised, but he shook his head. "I will not be High King for much longer. I will have no guarantee that my son will be happy when Renning takes my place. If I could, I would give it all to Jareth instead. I love Renning as well, but his heart is full of darkness and I fear for the Underground's safety with him as its leader. I beseech of you, young woman, that you treat my son well. He is all the happiness that I have left. You have his heart, so treat it gently. I do not think even he could handle the pain of lost love once again."

With that, the High King turned and left Sarah alone. She stood there, pondering just what had happened, but then she remembered that Jareth was waiting for her outside. She hurried out to find him waiting impatiently for her, looking agitated and rather worried. When he saw her, her beckoned her to him and offered her his arm.

"Let's head back," he said, stiffly. "I've no desire to be here any longer."

Sarah nodded and took his arm. In no time, they were back in her room at the Castle beyond the Goblin City. Jareth made as if to leave the room, but Sarah clung tighter to his arm. They needed to talk. Jareth realized what she was doing and sighed.

"What did he tell you?" he asked.

"Everything," said Sarah. "About your mother, about what happened last time I was here . . . everything."

Jareth made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "As I expected," he said. "Well, now that you have all he answers you wanted, what do you plan to do now, Sarah?"

She thought for a moment, unable to reply. Rather than answer his question, she asked him one. "Is because of your mother that you wanted me to go home so badly? Is it because your mother went through all that for the one she loved that you don't want me to do the same?"

"My mother made her choice," said Jareth, curtly. "A choice she later regretted. My existence is proof of that, Sarah. I'd have thought seeing what happened to her would make you realize that nothing good will come from being here."

"She stayed because she loved your father," said Sarah, stricken.

"Yes and what good came of that?" said Jareth, hotly. "They were unable to marry, their love was a disgrace to the High King's name, and in the end all she could do for him was die to give him an illicit son to be raised in the shadows. That's hardly a fate to envy, Sarah."

"You just sound bitter," said Sarah, stubbornly.

"My feelings aren't what we're discussing," Jareth snapped. "It's your future that we're talking about, Sarah."

"I'm not going to end up like your mother," Sarah insisted.

"You have no idea how you will react in the future," said Jareth. "You won't know what you'll feel or what you'll do until you're there. Should you get there at all," he added, stiffly.

There was a pause in which they just glared challengingly at each other. Sarah couldn't believe he was being so stubborn about this. If the High King was right, if she did have his heart, why was he being like this? Finally, Sarah spoke.

"What do _you_ want me to do, Goblin King?"

Jareth blinked, clearly taken aback by this simple question. "What?"

"What do you want me to do?" Sarah repeated, calmly.

"What I want makes no difference," said Jareth, dismissively.

"Well, I'd appreciate your opinion," said Sarah, simply. "What do you want me to do?"

"I . . . it doesn't matter," snapped Jareth. "This is your life, Sarah, not mine!"

"But it's your heart," Sarah reminded him. "I have your heart, don't I? Well, then, what would you like me to do?"

Jareth turned away, still not answering her.

"Do you want me to stay or not?" Sarah reordered her words to see if she could get a reaction out of him.

"You . . . have no place here," he said, still not looking at her.

"So you want me to leave?" Sarah asked.

"I . . . it doesn't have anything to do with what I want," spat Jareth. "This is _you_ we're speaking of! _You_ are the one at stake here, not me."

"You're a part of this too," Sarah insisted. "That is . . . if I really do have your heart. I do, don't I?"

Jareth didn't answer that. He turned away again, scowling at the ground and apparently gritting his teeth. Sarah waited a moment, hoping he would say something, but then she too lowered her eyes to the ground. "You . . . really don't want me here, do you?" she said finally. "For heaven's sake, Jareth, just say so. I'll leave, immediately if you like. I'll go right this moment if just say that you don't want me here. Say it and mean it."

There was another pause. Sarah waited, wondering just how cruel Jareth could be at this very second. If he said that he didn't want her here, she'd honor her word and go, even if it was against her will. But . . .

"I . . . cannot say such a thing," said Jareth, as if the words were being forced from his throat.

Sarah's eyes snapped back up to him, her heart fluttering. "You can't?"

"No," said Jareth, now looking disgusted with himself. "My greed will not permit it. All this time, Sarah, I've been fighting with my sick desires and have been trying, as ever, to give you what you want. I was sure that you would want to return to your family. I was absolutely certain that you would leave the moment it was convenient to you and that I'd never see my heart or the one who holds it again. But I was at peace with that. I knew you would never love me in return and that, and only that, was what gave me the strength to go on. There was no point in mourning lost love when there was never a love to be felt.

"But you have been fighting me all this time. You insist that you want to stay, that you want to become a Fae, that you want to travel the same road as my mother for no reason other than to savor your _friendships_ here that you lack in your home. You want to suffer as my mother did for barely any reason at all. I've tried to show you the errors in that way but you refuse to listen to me. You torment me, Sarah, with your beauty and kindness and all the things that drew me to you in the first place. Knowing that you are so close and yet I can never have you . . . drives me utterly mad. If you return to your family, to where you are loved and are free to love, then perhaps I can continue to move on."

Yet another silence greeted this little speech. Jareth looked frustrated and on the verge of angry, while Sarah was simply stunned. She could feel her eyes overflowing again and her chest was aching terribly.

"What . . . do you want, Jareth?" she asked, softly.

Jareth looked over at her, his eyes very bright. Finally, he spoke again. "Your happiness, Sarah. Nothing more or less than your utter and complete happiness. If you stay here, there is a very good chance that you will be miserable for the rest of your life. No fulfillment of mine is worth your happiness."

"But _what do you want!_" Sarah practically screamed. She had to hear it for herself. She desperately needed to hear him say it.

"You," he replied. "You, by my side, forever. That is what I want."

Sarah let out a loud sob and then threw her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. Jareth instantly took her into his arms and held her close, using those wonderful hands to caress her back and stroke her hair. He slid his tongue skillfully into her mouth and she responded eagerly, her hands moving up to cup his face, keeping him against her.

Sarah's hands then slipped under his sparkling blue jacket and she slid it off his arms. It had barely fallen to the ground when she started loosening buttons on his vest and shirt, eager to feel his skin again.

"Sarah," Jareth murmured warningly, pulling back from their heated kiss so he could talk.

"I know, I know," Sarah replied, kissing him between each word. "Trust me . . . Goblin King . . . I'm taking both of our hearts into consideration this time."

Jareth groaned deep in the back of his throat. His hands began to explore her, one sliding downward and one splayed over her flat stomach. It felt fantastic, allowing his hands to roam over her, to feel whatever they wanted. She continued to work on his complicated suit while he examined her through her sparkling dress. Out of nowhere, just like before, they were lying down again. This time, however, it was her own bed he was laying her upon as his kisses moved to her neck and one hand slid gradually up her leg, lifting up her skirt as it went.

Sarah had no idea what tomorrow would hold in store for them as article after article of clothing vanished between them. All she knew was that here and now, while she was in his arms, while he was kissing her everywhere, all was well in her heart.


	15. As the World Falls Down

**Day 10**

Sarah knew she was awake, but she was so very content and comfortable she had no desire to open her eyes. She kept them closed, stayed very still, hoping that she would fall back to sleep again. Gradually, however, she began to notice some unusual things. For one thing, she wasn't wearing her nightgown but lay completely bare beneath her thin, silk blankets. She also realized that she wasn't laying her head on her pillow, but something else, something that was moving very slowly up and down and was made of skin.

Almost reluctantly, she opened her eyes. It was only then that she realized that the thing she was using as a pillow was a man's chest. Jareth was laying beside her, fast asleep, one arm wrapped around her middle, holding her to him. Sunlight was streaming in through the window and illuminating the pair of them. It seemed to be shortly after dawn.

Sarah put her head back down on his chest, running over the memories of what had happened the previous night. How they had come back from the manse and how their argument had developed into something much more. She sighed contently and snuggled closer to him. Never in her life did she remember feeling so relaxed and peaceful as she did now. Perhaps mornings with him would always be like this. He'd once promised her valentine evenings and mornings of gold. It seemed to her like he'd kept his word.

She wrapped her arm around him and gave him a gentle hug without waking him up. If there was anything that would help her make up her mind, it was this. She was going to say in the Underground. She was going to become a Fae and stay with Jareth. She wanted to be with him, always. She loved him; to the depths of her soul she loved him. And he loved her. He'd told her that last night, several times in fact.

Lifting herself slightly, she moved further up his body and placed her ear directly over his heart. She could hear it thudding inside him, pounding slowly as he slept. She'd always loved the sound of heartbeats. When she was very small, she used to press her face into her father's chest and hear his heart pounding away. The thought made her feel very sad. She'd never hear her father's heartbeat again. Nor would she ever hear Toby's either. Robert, Toby, and Irene's hearts wouldn't beat ever again. Jareth had offered her a chance to make things different, but she couldn't take it. She was scared of cheating fate. She was coping with the loss of her family. And she'd fallen truly in love with someone she may never see again if she decided to take the chance and go back Aboveground.

Suddenly, a hand ran itself through her hair. Sarah smiled into his skin as she looked up into Jareth's face. He was now awake and staring down at her lovingly, a playful smile twisting his handsome face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice rather gravelly from sleep.

"Listening to your heart," Sarah replied, pressing her ear to his chest once more.

Jareth let out a small breath of laughter and held her closer to him, pressing her head closer to his heart. "It's all for you," he murmured. "Every beat of my heart is for you. It belongs to you. It's been yours for so long . . ."

Sarah snaked her arms around his back and she hugged him again. She just loved him so much right now. "Mine's yours," she murmured. "My heart belongs to you to. Every day I've been in this castle, it's been going over to you. I've been falling in love with you. Now, I think my heart's finally yours."

Jareth sighed. "Is . . . this your decision then?"

Sarah lifted her head and looked down at him, disbelievingly. "You _still_ don't want me to stay?" she asked.

"It's not that I don't want you to stay," said Jareth, heavily. "It's that I don't want you to make a decision that _you'll regret_. Staying here may be something you'll regret very much after awhile."

"And going back is something I'll equally regret," said Sarah. "Is this about what happened to your mother? Jareth, please, trust me. I won't regret it, and I don't think she did either."

"She died the first chance she got," said Jareth, bitterly. "If that's not regret, I don't know what is."

"She died so that you could get a chance to live," said Sarah, stubbornly. "She didn't regret her choice to stay. She got to be with your father, didn't she? That was the very thing she was hoping for by staying. She didn't want to move on to another world without her heart. I don't want to do that either."

"What about your family?" Jareth asked. "Are they no longer in your heart?"

"Of course they are," said Sarah. She closed her eyes and let out a sad breath. "They are there but . . . it's like . . . they're becoming memories. That scares me to death and at times I feel like a horrible person for allowing that to happen. But if I look deep into my heart, at what I really want, all I see is you. And all this time, all you've been doing is trying to send me back. Why is that?" she asked, resting her head back onto his chest again.

"Because I thought that was what you'd want," he replied, stroking her hair and squeezing her gently. "Your family meant so much to you before, I was sure you'd stop at nothing to see them again. I suppose I was too late when I told you I could bring them back. I should have told you that very first day you were here. Your happiness, as I told you before, means everything to me."

"Even if it means living without your heart?" Sarah asked.

"I was never meant to exist anyway," said Jareth, shrugging. "I was supposed to be the dead one, not my mother. It doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter whether I'm happy or not. As long as you are, then all is as it should be."

"Wow," said Sarah, dully. "You're a real pessimist, y'know that?"

Jareth laughed slightly. "I think I prefer the term 'realist'."

"That's not it at all," snapped Sarah, tapping him sharply on the shoulder. "Please, stop thinking like that. Like you're unworthy to be happy or something, it's depressing. Don't you want to be with me?"

"More than I've ever wanted anything," said Jareth, earnestly.

"Then _keep me_," said Sarah, earnestly, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Stop pushing me away and let me in. If you want me to stay, let me stay. Let me stay beside you. Please, just let me stay where I can be happy. I'm scared of what bringing my family back could do and I'm happy here and now. Listen to me and let me stay. Please, just keep me."

They lay there in silence for awhile, Jareth still stroking her hair but neither of then speaking. The sun was rising quickly, filling the room with light. Finally, just when Sarah was worried that he wouldn't answer at all, he spoke at last.

"I'll let you stay on one condition," he said, softly.

"What condition is that?" Sarah asked, still keeping close to him.

"You have to marry me."

Sarah lifted herself up and stared down at him. He looked completely serious as he looked up straight into her eyes.

"If you're going to stay, I'm not going to take a single chance," said Jareth. "I refuse to lose you again if you're going to be staying here. I will not allow anything to come between us. If you're to stay, I want you to be with me and only me. I told you that I'm greedy. I hate sharing and I despise the idea of people taking things that are mine. So, if you stay, then stay as my wife. You must belong only to me. Are you willing to do that?"

The strangest feeling occurred deep in Sarah's heart as he spoke. It was like it was being ripped from her chest, but it didn't hurt. It felt almost good. Was this how he'd felt when he watched her run the Labyrinth? As he saw her draw ever nearer to him, penetrating his every defense, was this what had been occurring inside his heart? Was this what it was like to give your heart to someone else entirely? She came back down upon him, tears in her eyes, and caught him in a long, searing kiss. He responded passionately, his strong arms wrapping around her to hold her to him.

When the need for air overpowered everything else, Sarah pulled back enough to give him a watery smile.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I'll do it. I'll marry you, Jareth."

That was all she managed to say for awhile. Jareth kissed her again and rolled her onto her back and allowed their passion to take complete control.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Is she ever gonna get up?" grumbled Hoggle, pacing around in the throne room, which was empty except for himself, Didymus, and Ludo. They were waiting for Sarah to ask her how the High Princess's party had gone and what the High King had wanted with her.

"Patience is a virtue, Sir Hoggle," said Didymus. "Honorable Sir Strootle has just gone to deliver her morning meal, so we shall know if she is ready for us soon enough."

"I don't know," said Hoggle grumpily. "I've gotta funny feeling about all this. Maybe Sarah really is gonna stay here forever. Jareth was set on her goin' home. Now that they're actin' all lovey-dovey, she might just stay here after all."

"Huh? Dovey?" asked Ludo, puzzled.

"Ah, never mind," grumbled Hoggle, waving his hands.

At that moment, Strootle came waddling in. "I don't think we'll be able to see her for awhile," said Strootle. "The King is in her room right now."

"WHAT!?" bellowed Hoggle. "Jareth!? What's he doin' in her room?"

"I don't know," said Strootle, shrugging. "I just know he is in there. When His Majesty is feeling particularly grumpy and doesn't want me in his room, he casts a spell over the door so I can't get in. Today, however, his room is empty and the spell is cast over Miss Sarah's door instead. Maybe they had a sleep over party!"

"Perhaps they needed to rise early to speak about the Lady's decision to stay or to return home," prompted Didymus.

"Hm," growled Ludo, thoughtfully. "Tag?"

"You three have gotta be the most naïve . . ." Hoggle grumbled, trying very hard not to think about what Jareth being in Sarah's room must mean.

While Hoggle brooded and the others tried to guess what was going on in Sarah's room, the door burst open and Tecla came in, looking frantic.

"Your Majesty the Imp King," cried Didymus, taking off his hat in salute. "How kind of you to grace us . . ."

"Where's Jareth!?" Tecla demanded. "Where is he? I need to talk to him right now! Something horrible has happened! I need to talk to him!"

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jareth couldn't remember ever feeling so light. After finally deciding it was time to get up and move on with the day, he transported himself to his own room to allow both Sarah and himself to get bathed and dressed. He was almost done, all that was left was to put on his gloves, and then he would greet the day and announce to the Goblin City that they were to have a queen at last.

Sarah had agreed to marry him. He thought still brought a grin to his face. She'd actually agreed to be his wife! Had someone told him, twelve days ago, that in the near future the woman he loved would agree to marry him; he would have sent them to the Bog for telling such a cruel lie. It was the truth. She wanted to be with him. She _loved_ him. The very thought boggled his mind.

He knew, somewhere under his jubilation, that he shouldn't be so quick to celebrate. The curse was still as affective as ever it was and the Solstice was approaching very quickly indeed. Renning would never allow him such happiness as to marry. The High King would probably defend them, but he would have little say in what happened when Renning took his crown. High Queen Presea would aid Renning in any way she could to make sure he was miserable and Zara was nothing more than the pretty doll kept by her mother and brother who would simply sit aside and let whatever was to come happen.

Jareth slid his hands into his leather gloves and flexed the fingers carefully. If his father's family tried to get in the way of his being with Sarah forever, he would fight to within an inch of his life. He would not allow any harm to befall her and he would do anything he could to make sure she did not share his mother's fate.

He left his room and headed toward his study where he would begin making arrangements for Sarah's permanent stay in the Underground. He'd just opened the door and then found himself face-to-face with the Imp King.

"Tecla?" he said, surprised. "What's . . .?"

"Jareth!" gasped Tecla. "I'm sorry! I tried to stop them! They came in through the Porthole . . ."

Jareth looked passed Tecla and felt as if his insides had frozen over. Renning and at least a dozen of his cronies, including the Cyclops Glamrod, were standing crammed in his office. He knew at once that something was seriously wrong. Renning was wearing the High King's crown and a very smug look on his face.

"Ah, there he is," said Renning. "The Labyrinthine King."

"Renning," said Jareth, nodding curtly. "What are you doing here? I wasn't aware that I'd invited any of you."

"You are to show respect to the Surrogate King!" bellowed a menacing-looking troll, brandishing a club.

"Now, now," said Renning, calmly. "Poor Jareth doesn't know any better. Judging by his expression, I'd say he doesn't even know what's happened yet."

"What are you talking about?" snapped Jareth. "What does he mean Surrogate King? What's happened?"

"A very unfortunate even has occurred this morning," said Renning, softly. "In the early hours of this morning, my father Darius, High King of all the Underground, was found dead in his chambers."

"What?!" Jareth said, cold shock flooding his body. "The . . . the High King . . . is . . . is dead?"

"Yes," said Renning, showing little, if any, grief. "He passed away in the night."

"It . . . it can't be," said Jareth, numb with disbelief. How was it possible? His father dead? It couldn't be. He'd seen him just last night! He'd been just fine!

"I assure you that it has happened," said Renning. "But I'm afraid that it was no peaceful end. He was examined by our healing staff in the Palace and they found liberal amounts of a certain poisonous residue in his stomach."

"Poison?" Jareth said, sharply. "The High King . . . _was poisoned!_"

"Indeed," said Renning. "It seems that somebody slipped some essence of Gobblederoot in my late father's nightcap. It consumed his body as he slept and he lightly slipped into Death's clutches sometime in the night. The closest thing to a peaceful death that anyone can suffer nowadays."

"Gobblederoot?" Jareth breathed, feeling panic starting to set in. He knew that plant and knew it well. In fact the only place he could think of where it grew aplenty was . . .

"And you can see our concern in the matter, Jareth," said Renning, coming up to him with a victorious smile. "Gobblederoot happens to be especially plentiful . . . in that disgusting little Bog of Eternal Stench you're so fond of."

Jareth looked up at him. "Just what . . . _exactly_ . . . are you trying to say, Renning?" he hissed.

Renning let out a little snigger of triumph. "Jareth, I understand it that you're still housing a little human girl in this castle, correct?"

"So what!?" Jareth barked, his fury building.

"This is the same human girl with whom my father held an audience with last night," Renning was positively beaming right now. "I wonder, if you could turn her over to us for a few hours?"

"Why?!" Jareth half-yelled.

"You know why," said Renning, coolly. "The High King's murderer must be punished. The human must be forced to confess for her crimes and then she will be executed for murder."

"No!" Jareth yelled. "You can't have her! You can't blame this on her! I won't allow it!"

"_You_ won't allow it?" said Renning, laughing softly. "Jareth, you can't resist me. Father is dead and your contract with him, that stupid little one where the Labyrinth is under your jurisdiction only, is severed. You have no choice but to answer to me and I order you to bring her here."

"Renning, don't be a fool," said Jareth, feeling panic returning quickly to him. "You know what happened last time a human was executed hastily! Do you intend to make the same mistake before you even make the pact with the Deities!?"

"Don't rub that mishap in my face, Jareth," said Renning, impatiently. "Father's murderer must be punished. I couldn't care less whatever little plans you have by keeping her here. She was the last one to see the High King alive and therefore she is, at least, worth questioning."

"NO," roared Jareth. "You leave her out of this Renning! I won't let her . . ."

"Jareth? Jareth, what's going on?"

Jareth spun around, his heart hammering. Sarah had arrived right behind him, looking beautiful but puzzled. She looked passed him and into the study, at Renning and his band of thugs.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked, looking around at him. "Jareth? Tecla? Is something . . .?"

"Sarah, go to the library," said Jareth, hastily. "Now, Tecla, you take her . . ."

"She will stay where she is," said Renning, harshly. "But, I must agree with one thing. Imp King Tecla, you can have your leave. You are not involved in this matter."

Tecla glared at him. "Hey! I'm a King too, buddy! I won't just stand by and . . ."

"Tecla, it's alright," said Jareth, quickly. Things were getting worse and worse by the second and he would have to do some quick thinking. It would make things much less complicated if Tecla wasn't there reading his every thought. "I'll settle this matter. If you can ensure that the City is in order, I would greatly appreciate it."

Tecla looked into his mind, confused and a little hurt, but once she saw his intentions in his mind, she glided out of the room and out of sight. Jareth turned back to Renning, his face set.

"Sarah had nothing to do with the High King's death," he said, darkly. "We both know it and pinning the blame on the first person you can think of won't solve anything."

"What!?" gasped Sarah. "The High King . . . is dead!?"

"Don't act surprised you human scum," bellowed Glamrod. "Tryin' to make yourself innocent? Ha! I knew you were trouble the moment I laid my eye on you."

"Glamrod, kindly shut up," said Renning, irritably. "I still have things to take care of."

"Yes, of course, Your Excellency," said Glamrod, bowing and beaming at Renning.

Jareth fought back the urge to show his disgust on his face. "You can't have Sarah, Renning. I'll not allow you to harm her."

"I can't go back empty handed," said Renning, simply. "I have to bring Father's murderer in at once. That girl had an audience with the deceased former High King last night, using a poison known to this region. We can do this easily, Jareth, or we can do this in a way that leaves every single creature within this blasted place in a lot of misery."

Renning came closer and spoke softly so that only Jareth could hear him. "Give her up, Jareth, and I'll be lenient. I'll let you keep your idiotic little maze, hell I'll even let you keep hording all those little misfit creatures. I can assure peace and harmony in this kingdom you've worked to build. Of course, you'll be under my jurisdiction but it'll be a small price to pay. The alternative, fighting with me and not giving the human girl up, will make things much messier."

Jareth was now aware that his hands were curled into such tight fists that the tips of his fingers were going numb. "Why do you want her anyway?" he breathed.

"Don't be naïve," hissed Renning. "The Underground's fate was all there fault. I was there, I may have been just a brat at the time, but I was there. I saw what the humans did. They tricked us. They moved onto their own world and left us to rot in a cursed land. Also, it's been so long since we've had a proper execution. What a way to boost everyone's moral when I take the Underground as my own."

Jareth was now shaking with the effort to keep himself from strangling Renning. How dare he pin the blame on Sarah? He would never, _never_, permit this, but there was little he could do. He thought desperately, trying to find a way out of this but Renning refused to leave without someone to blame the High King's death on. Finally, an idea that chilled him to the bone came into his head.

"Very well," he said, as Renning stepped back. "If that is the way it must be, Renning, then take the High King's murderer into custody."

"What?" said Sarah, sounding confused and scared. But Jareth didn't step aside and allow them to take her. Instead, he stepped forward and exposed his wrists to Renning.

"What's the meaning of this?" Renning asked, casting Jareth a suspicious glance.

Jareth lowered his head, took a deep breath, then looked back up, his eyes determined.

"_I_ killed the High King," he said.

**Ying-Fa: It's been too long since we've had a decent cliffie, don't you agree? Please review! (MWA HA HA HA HA!)**


	16. Don't Cry Out

"WHAT!? NO!"

Sarah couldn't believe what she'd just heard. It wasn't true, she knew it. It was impossible. She tried to run over and reach Jareth, but two satyrs grabbed her arms and held her in place. Jareth turned and saw them. "Leave her be!" he demanded. "You're getting the true criminal; do not harm any innocents here!"

"Jareth, stop it!" Sarah cried, struggling against her captors. "That's not true! You'd never have killed the High King! He was your father! Please, stop lying to them."

"It isn't a lie," said Jareth, still holding his arms out toward Renning. "The poison that took his life is something that is very common in the lands under my jurisdiction. If you will remember, Renning, I left the festivities quiet early, leaving me plenty of time to slip away and put the Gobblederoot in His former Excellency's nightcap. I knew he was meeting Sarah, so I took the opportunity of his absence to plan his death so that it would appear he died in his sleep. Sadly, it appears that I was a bit sloppy. The Gobblederoot was discovered and now Renning was just about to apprehend me."

"Stop! No!" Sarah screamed. "You didn't do it! You didn't do it! Stop confessing to something you didn't do!"

"Are you trying to confess yourself, human?" Renning demanded, tearing his eyes off Jareth's face and looking around at Sarah.

"No, I'm not!" Sarah shrieked. "We're both innocent! You can't pin the blame on us for something we didn't do!"

"Renning," Jareth said, quietly. "You have a confession from me. Don't drag her into this. I have the means, I have the time, and I have everything you need to make a conviction."

"You'd do all this to protect her?" Renning whispered back. "Just what is she here for, Jareth, that you're willing to walk into Death's embrace to care for her. If she killed Father . . ."

"But _I_ killed Father, remember?" said Jareth. "You were supposed to be next. Then I'd polish of your mother and sister. There'd be nobody left to inherit the throne when the Solstice came, except for me. There's plenty of motive for you. Think about it, Renning," he leaned closer, staring challengingly into Renning's icy eyes. "Who would you most rather see dead, her or me?"

Renning stared at Jareth, searching his face and thinking things over. The silent minutes in which he took everything into consideration stretched on horribly. Everyone in the room seemed to be watching Renning with the utmost intent. Finally, after what could easily have been forever, Renning's face cracked into a wicked smile.

"Well, you heard the man," he said. "Arrest him for the murder of the deceased King."

"NO!" Sarah screamed, fighting harder than ever against her captors.

Jareth merely stood there silently and allowed Glamrod to approach him and bind his hands with, thick, steel chains. The satyrs holding Sarah shoved her to the ground and then grabbed Jareth instead while the rest of Renning's group pointed spears and other weapons at him to ensure he didn't escape.

"No," Sarah cried, trying to reach him. "No, Jareth! What are you doing!?" she shoved her way past the satyrs and grabbed his shoulder. Jareth turned and gazed at her with a kind of miserable longing.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," he whispered. "Please forgive me."

"What . . .!?"

"Get back, human scum!" growled a troll, grabbing Sarah's elbow and pulling her away from Jareth. She just barely fell to the floor when Renning raised his hand into the air. There was a brilliant flash of light, and Renning, his cronies, and Jareth were gone.

"No!" Sarah cried, pounding her fist on the ground where Jareth had been seconds before. "No, Jareth, no!"

She didn't understand what had happened. It was as if the world had gone from bright and beautiful to dark and terrible in a matter of minutes. Just this morning she'd been the happiest she'd ever been in all her life, sheltered in Jareth's arms and agreeing to marry him. Now, the High King was dead, Jareth had confessed to killing him and would now face whatever terrible punishment that his wicked half-brother would think up for him. It was all just so crazy. How had things gone so horribly, terribly array from this morning?

"Sarah!"

Sarah somehow found it in her to open her eyes. Tecla had come back and was now looking at the almost empty study, looking horrorstruck.

"He . . . he didn't seriously . . ." Tecla whispered, her orange eyes wide with shock. "Did he just . . . confess to killing the High King?!"

Sarah's voice seemed to have died out, so all she could do was nod slowly before bursting into tears.

"He didn't," gasped Tecla. "That stupid . . . unbelievable . . . JERK!"

Tecla fell to her knees like Sarah had and began punching the floor with her small fists, consumed with fury. "I . . . can't . . . believe . . . him!" she snarled every time a fist slammed into the stone floor. "Stupid . . . jerk . . . stupid . . . jerk!"

"What went wrong?" Sarah asked, the question falling from her lips so that she barely knew she'd spoken at all. "I just . . . don't understand. It all . . . happened so fast. What went wrong? What happened!?"

Tecla couldn't say anything to comfort Sarah. She merely went over and leapt lightly onto Sarah's shoulder and rested her cheek on the top of Sarah's head. Sarah couldn't show any appreciation for this affectionate gesture. All she felt like doing, indeed all she seemed capable of doing, was crying on and on.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"So? Is what I hear correct? Have you confessed to my son that you are the one responsible for the death of High King Darius?"

Jareth didn't look up into the High Queen's face more out of habit than out of respect. If he had his way, he'd be glaring right up into her pretty face and show him his defiance. "That's correct," he said, boldly.

"How did I see this coming?" said Presea, sneering down at Jareth. She was wearing a gown of black velvet and a black veil of mourning over her lovely face. It was custom, of course, when a woman's husband died. Jareth, however, knew that she was only wearing them because if she didn't it was make her look like the unloving and cold-hearted woman she truly was.

"Mother," said Zara, sympathetically, who was also wearing black.

"I always thought you might try and bring harm to my family," Presea hissed. "Did you think that just because you're my husband's son gives you some kind of right to reign over us? Let me correct you, Goblin King. You are my husband's son _with a whore!_ You are not worthy of anything, not even the vulgar title you cling to now. You'll never have the Right of the pact. You'll never gain the favor of the Deities! You'll never have the throne that is rightfully my son's!"

"Mother!" cried Zara.

"Get him out of here!" bellowed Presea. "Take him to the dungeons where he shall await the executioner's ax!"

"Yes, Your Excellency," said Glamrod, greedily. He and a couple of Minotaurs grabbed him roughly and pulled him out of the throne room, toward the dungeons. Jareth, enraged, shook them off him violently.

"I can walk," he snapped, glaring at them with utter loathing. The Cyclops and his companions raised their weapons threateningly, but made no further attempt to grab him. Lifting his chin defiantly, Jareth walked down to the dungeons, his hands still bound in front of him. As they passed the door leading the way, Romulus and Remus saw him going by. They liked their chops and whined at him, expecting food, but he wasn't even able to pat them for Glamrod gave him an unnecessary nudge in the back.

"Keep moving," he grunted.

Jareth resisted the urge roll his eyes and trudged on with his guard. After descending numerous flights of stairs they finally reached the dungeons. The walls were damp and smelled of mildew. At once Jareth felt a strange weight on his being and knew what it was. The prisons were made using iron so that any magical prisoner would be unable to use magic and try to escape.

The guards walked Jareth to a cell and he barely had time to look inside it when the door opened and he was pushed roughly inside. His hands still bound, he lost his balance and almost fell. Glamrod and the Minotaurs laughed at him as they slammed the door closed and locked it.

"Enjoy your new home, Your ex-Majesty," said Glamrod, gleefully.

Jareth scowled at the closed door and looked around. It was positively dismal. Three of the walls were made of damp, mildew-covered stone and the fourth, the one which held the door he'd been thrown into, was comprised of iron bars. There was also a pathetic excuse for a window, a small box that was also sealed with iron bars. The floor was strewn with straw and what appeared to be a wooden table with a thin, moldy cloth over it was to serve as a bed.

Despite being the illicit son of a king, he'd lived very comfortably all his life. Now that he was in this disgusting place, Jareth was quite at a loss for what to do. He did not want to sit anywhere, he didn't want to touch anything, he didn't want to keep breathing this putrid air, but he'd have no choice. This . . . place . . . was where he would spend the rest of his life and he realized, sadly, that that wasn't going to be very long. He didn't care, or rather he forced himself not to care. It was better, so much better, that he be here instead of Sarah. He refused to allow anything to happen to her. They'd come for her at first, trying to convict her for the High King's murder, trying to put her in this foul place. Perhaps they wouldn't have put her here at all, but would have taken her straight to the executioner. That was completely unacceptable. His insides burned at the thought of any harm befalling his beloved. Yes, it was better that he endure this place and take on the executioner himself than have it done to her.

After about an hour, when Jareth had finally talked himself to sitting on the stiff table-bed did someone come by the bars of his cell. It was Renning. He unlocked the door and stepped in, apparently not minding the vile surroundings.

"I've managed to talk Mother into postponing your death until sunset of the Solstice," said Renning. That's nine days from now. When the last rays of the sun vanish, you'll die. Then, in the thirteen hour, Theophania will come to me and grant my wish and name me the next High King in _my father's_ place."

Jareth didn't say anything. Renning smiled widely.

"I'm happy to blissfully ignore the fact that you probably didn't kill _my father_ and are simply trying to defend the human girl. I've been waiting for the day when I would be free from your miserable existence. I've waited so long that I'm happy to think about how stupid it would be to think you killed _my father_. You see, he was the only one who could have prevented . . ."

Without warning, Renning's fist collided with the side of Jareth's head. Jareth fell to the ground, letting out a grunt of pain.

" . . . that from happening," Renning continued. "As well as . . ." he grabbed Jareth's shoulder and punched him again. " . . .that and . . ." he kicked Jareth hard in the stomach, " . . . that!"

Jareth couldn't stop any of it. His hands were still bound and there was no end to Renning's physical attacks. Renning's jubilant laughs echoed around the damp walls along with Jareth's grunts and cries of pain. Eventually, Renning had Jareth pinned to the wall by this throat with one hand while the other hit him again and again in the stomach. The attacks then moved upward to Jareth's face, and Renning hit him over and over until Jareth felt his consciousness starting to fade.

When he'd just about had his fill, Renning released Jareth's throat and he immediately sank to his knees. Jareth opened his mouth and let out a wet, hacking cough. Blood spilled from his lips and splashed to the floor. Jareth was almost sure the abuse was finished when Renning delivered one last blow to the side of his head. Jareth fell sideways and his already battered head came in contact with the table-bed. At once he felt something hard rolling around in his mouth. He'd lost a tooth.

"Ah," said Renning, rubbing at his battered knuckles. "All my life, I've wanted to do that. I must admit, it does something for your looks, Jareth. What say you now, Jareth? Have I earned your respect at last as your king?"

Jareth looked up at Renning with all the loathing he could muster. Then he spat out his mouthful of blood and his missing tooth at Renning's feet.

"You . . . will . . . _never_," he wheezed. "Be . . . my king."

Renning didn't look too offended. Indeed, he let out another maniacal laugh, unlocked the door of Jareth's cell, stepped out and slammed it shut again, still laughing his head off.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"King Tecla! We bring news from the Palace!"

Sarah, Tecla, Hoggle, Ludo, Didymus and numerous goblins were crowded inside the throne room at the castle. Sarah had just finished telling the goblins and her friends what had happened this morning when Jareth had been arrested when two more creatures entered the room. Sarah recognized them as imps, because they looked just the same as their female king.

"Calet!" cried Tecla, once she saw them. "Lecat! What's happened?"

"They've just announced the Goblin King's sentence," said Lecat. "He's going to be executed at sunset of the day of the Solstice!"

There was an immediate uproar of cries, gasps, squawks, shrieks and various other noises from the goblins.

"The King! Executed? No!"

"That's horrible!"

"They can't do that!"

"What's gonna happen to the Labyrinth?"

"What about the city?"

"What about those five bucks he owes me?"

"What about my mother!?"

"What's your mom have to do with anything?"

"I don't know!"

"Not the King! He's the best King we've ever had."

"Isn't he the _only _King we've ever had?"

"Wait. This means the throne is up for grabs, right?"

"You imbecile!" Hoggle growled, taking this last goblin and throttling him. "There ain't gonna be a throne left to take when Jareth's gone! We're done for at this rate!"

"Jareth," whispered Sarah, her hands over her mouth and fighting back a wave of tears. "No. This can't be happening. It just can't."

"Atten-TION!" bellowed Tecla. At once, the room went silent. All eyes turned to the Imp King and her two companions.

"Listen up, you gobbledemidgets!" she said. "You needn't worry just yet. The Solstice isn't for another nine days, so that means we have that amount of time to plan a way to secure your safety."

"But the King's in prison and going to be killed," mumbled a little goblin. "We're we to dos?"

"Our kingdoms," said Tecla. "Stand as allies and I refuse to allow anything to happen to those with whom we hold peace. The Labyrinth will be set up with all the protection the Imp Kingdom can offer. It's the best we can do for now, people!"

Just as the goblins started talking amongst themselves again, Sarah went over to the Imp King. "Tecla, can you take me to the Palace? I need to talk to Jareth."

"Sarah, he'll be in the dungeons," said Tecla, a sad hopelessness in her orange eyes. "I don't think there's anything we can do for him. Now that they've ruled him as the guilty party and have set an execution date . . ."

"But he's innocent!" Sarah insisted. "I have to talk to him one more time. I have to make him see reason and stop this while we still can."

"It was over the moment he confessed," said Tecla, shaking her head. "Renning hates Jareth so much. Presea does too. They'll want nothing more than to see his sentence carried out. But," Tecla looked up into Sarah's earnest green eyes. "I can tell it means a lot to ya, so . . . alright, I'll take you there."

"Thank you," said Sarah, breathlessly.

"I'll take you via magic," said Tecla. "So we can come and go quick-like, okay?"

"That's fine by me," said Sarah.

Tecla sighed, but knew it was pointless to try arguing with Sarah right now. In a flash, Sarah and Tecla were in the entrance hall of the palace. Tecla showed Sarah the way into the courtroom she'd been in when she and Hoggle had been tried. It was empty now and Tecla guided them to a door to the side of the hall and they entered in. They descended down the stairs together and, before long, found the musty dungeons.

"I'll give you guys some time to yourselves," said Tecla. "I'll stay here and keep a look out."

"Thank you, Tecla. Jareth!" Sarah called as she entered the prison. "Jareth! Are you in here?"

"Sarah?"

Sarah ran along the cells until she found Jareth sitting on the ground of his cell. Sarah looked at him through the bars and gasped. "Jareth! What happened!?"

"It's . . . nothing," he said, vaguely. Sarah saw right through the lie, however. His face was bruised and bloody and he was holding his arms up to his chest in a way that made Sarah suspect broken ribs.

"Who did this to you?" she asked. "What happened?"

"It was just . . . Renning taking a lifetime's frustrations out on me," said Jareth, moving closer to the bars, moving gingerly. "It's fine though, Sarah. I'm fine."

"You look awful," said Sarah. "Are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should call a do-. . ."

Before she could finish, Jareth reached through the bars, grabbed her face and pulled it to his in a deep kiss. Sarah returned it, but it wasn't quite as pleasant as any of his other kisses. His lips hadn't tasted like blood before. When he pulled away, Sarah looked at him and her heart broke as she saw his injuries, what broke her heart worse was what he said next.

"Though I hate to see you in this dismal place, I'm glad for the chance to see you one last time," he murmured. "I feared they wouldn't let me."

"I snuck in with Tecla," said Sarah. "And this _isn't_ the last time we'll see each other. Jareth, you must tell them the truth. You didn't kill your father!"

"If I plead innocence then there are two things that will occur," said Jareth, heavily. "They will either ignore me and have me killed anyway or they'll blame and execute you instead. If the latter happens, I'll just kill myself anyway. This is the cleanest choice, I think."

"No," said Sarah, desperately. "You can't do this! You can't let yourself die! You're innocent, I'm innocent, tell them!"

"They won't listen," said Jareth. "They've wanted me dead for too long. They want me punished for being alive. I can't do anything about this."

"Then we'll find out who really killed the High King," said Sarah. "I'll find out who did it and then they'll have to set you free."

"They won't listen to you either," Jareth replied, shaking his head. "They'd love to see you die almost as much as they'd like to see me die. Their hatred for humans burns strong, I guess. I'm only here because they hate me more than you."

"Stop it!" Sarah cried. "Stop talking like it's hopeless. I'll save you! This can't happen, it can't! Where are the Deities? Why are they allowing this to happen? They can't allow some corrupt, bloodthirsty, monster like Renning take the throne!"

"I . . . have no answer," said Jareth. "The crown can only be passed to a male heir. Renning's the only one. The Underground must have a Fae serve as High King for order to remain."

"But I don't care about order," snapped Sarah. "I can't let them kill you. I won't let it happen."

"Sarah, please," said Jareth. "There's nothing left for you to do! I can't stop them, Sarah and neither can you. I love you, Sarah, and it kills me to accept this as my fate. I don't want this to happen. I hate that it is happening but there is _nothing we can do_! You can't overturn my sentence, not with Renning and Presea in control. If the blame shifts from me to you and you die in my place . . . I vow to take my life myself and your efforts will be for nothing."

Sarah looked past the bruises and dried blood on his face into his fierce mismatched eyes. She knew, then, that there was no stopping what was going to happen. Jareth was really going to let himself be executed for a crime he didn't commit. He was going to sit here in this awful place until they took him away and killed him. A wave of hopelessness washed over her and Sarah succumbed to tears. There had to be some way. She wouldn't let this happen. Not now, not when she'd fallen so deeply in love with him.

"Please . . . there must be something . . ." said Sarah, earnestly. "Tell me, please. I won't give up and I won't leave you here to die. I won't let you go through with this lie."

Jareth stared at her for a moment, and then sighed. "There's only one thing that . . . might improve this situation."

"What? What!?" Sarah asked, urgently.

"In my chambers," he said, tonelessly. "In the top drawer of the desk, you'll find something . . . very familiar to you. You'll know what to do when you see it. Perhaps I should have given it to you quite a bit sooner but . . . well, under the circumstances . . ." he gestured vaguely at his dingy cell and his beaten face.

"In the drawer of your desk?" Sarah repeated to make sure she'd heard him right. "Okay. I'll go back and get . . ."

"You need to be by yourself," said Jareth. "Don't let Tecla or any of your friends be with you. It's something that you must do alone."

"I understand," said Sarah. "I'd better go. Tecla's waiting for me. Just hold on a little longer, Jareth. I'll get you . . ."

"Sarah," Jareth whispered so quietly that Sarah almost missed hearing him.

"W-what?"

"Please, before you go . . . just once more, please."

Sarah's heart fluttered at his earnest request. She leaned in closer and kissed him once again. This one was so deep, so meaningful, it was overwhelming. It was like he was pouring every single ounce of his love into this kiss. She didn't care about the blood anymore; all she cared about was sharing this moment with the man she loved. It took a very long time for either of them to pull away.

"I will help you out of here," Sarah whispered as she pulled back. "And after I do, I'm going to marry you. I promise."

Jareth didn't reply, he slumped against the damp wall and nodded slightly. Sarah squeezed his hand, and then ran off to where Tecla was waiting.

"What'd he say?" she asked, once Sarah came back.

"Take me back to the castle now," said Sarah. "There's something I need to do."

"There's something in his chambers that'll help the situation, huh?" said Tecla, reading Sarah's thoughts. "Very well then. Let's go."

Within seconds, they were back in the castle, but Tecla had taken Sarah straight to the doors of Jareth's chambers, rather than back in the throne room.

"I'll give you a minute," said Tecla. "I need to keep talking to those goblins down there. I'll . . . see you around, right?"

"Of course," said Sarah. "Thank you for all your help, Tecla."

The Imp King gave her a wide grin before she floated away down the stairs. Sarah grasped the handles of the large doors and hurried inside. Jareth's chambers were just as they were when Sarah barged in here the other day. She remembered the last time she was in here. It was when Jareth had told her that it had been he who saved her and they'd kissed for the very first time. Now it was her turn to save him. She hurried to the desk and pulled open the top drawer.

There, sitting amongst the quills and parchment paper and other items, was something very familiar. A round, plump peach sat neatly in the desk. Sarah picked up the fuzzy fruit and examined it. Jareth had told her that she'd know what to do with it when she found it. Was she supposed to eat it? What difference would that make? What kind of spell was this? Well, she thought to herself, if it was going to save Jareth then she'd do anything.

Slowly, warily, Sarah raised the peach to her mouth. Her teeth broke through the skin and a wave of juice flowed into her mouth as she tore off a chunk of the fleshy fruit, chewed, and swallowed it.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Your Majesty. What ails thee?"

Tecla was rubbing her temples like she had a headache and her eyes were shut tight. "Don't talk to me now, Yelkie," she said, irritably. "I'm trying to see something."

"What's there to see?" asked Hoggle. "What's going on? Where's Sarah?"

"She's in Jareth's room doing something he told her to do," said Tecla. "I just want to know what it is that they're planning. I wanna help."

"Hm," growled Ludo. "Ludo help too!"

"Well, I could just see into Jareth's mind," murmured Tecla, annoyed. "He's hiding things from me, he normally . . ."

But then Tecla froze. Hoggle and Didymus both made movements as if they were about to ask her a question, but she raised her hand to stop them.

"No," she murmured. "Oh, no he didn't! I . . . I'VE GOT TO STOP HER!"

Tecla ran off back the direction she came a few minutes ago and Sarah's three friends went with her. After climbing back up the tower, they reached Jareth's chambers. Tecla wrenched the door open and they all peered inside.

The large room was empty. The only thing out of place was a peach with a large bite taken out of it on the floor.

"Oh no!" said Tecla. "It's too late! I can't believe that jerk!"

"What's going on!?" cried Hoggle. "What's happened?"

"Isn't it obvious?" bellowed Tecla, tears forming in her large orange eyes. "That peach was a spell . . . to send Sarah back to the Aboveground."

**The end. I feel so . . .**

**(interupted by Nagini-chan wrapping herself around Ying-fa's neck)**

**Nagini-chan: SHE'S LYING! SHE'S A BIG, FAT LIAR! There's more to come! _Right, filthy owner of mine?_ (squeezes tighter)**

**Ying-Fa: (choking) Y-yes! Yes, of course! I'd just . . . forgotten! Please . . . there is . . . more to come! I'll . . . update . . . posthaste! (Nagini let's go) **


	17. Incomplete

**Ying-Fa: FYI, when Jareth created the spell to send Sarah back, he changed a few things, hence the differences and Toby and Irene's conditions that you'll find out about in a second. Just wanting to avoid confusion. Please, tell me what you think.**

A loud buzzing disrupted the silent darkness that was her world. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't give. They seemed sealed together with sleep. The buzzing sound grew increasingly irksome and she finally managed to open her eyes. She was lying down, curled up in a warm ball, under cotton sheets and blankets. She looked around at where she was, feeling weary and confused.

"Where . . .?" Sarah murmured, her voice deep and groggy from sleep. But then she remembered. This was her room. Of course it was her room. Where else would she be? And that irritating buzzing noise was coming from her alarm clock. Reaching blindly for the clock with one hand while she rubbed sleep out of her eyes with the other, she found the button to turn it off. Prying her eyes open she looked at the little clock.

It was seven-thirty on a Sunday, her day off work. Odd. Why had she set her alarm clock on a Sunday? Well, perhaps she'd just forgotten and set it without realizing the day. Sarah slid out of bed, the springs in her mattress groaning as she moved. She looked around her room, still feeling dazed. It was like half of her mind knew where she was and the other half didn't have a clue. She almost crashed into her bedside table and tripped on the small chair in front of her vanity. She just felt so weird, so distant from her surroundings.

Sarah thought hard, trying to think through her confusion Where was she yesterday? If her clock was correct then it would have been Saturday and she'd have gone to work and maybe have done something extra, like going out to dinner or a movie. She always treated herself to something on Saturday because she could sleep in and get ready for another week of work. She tried to remember the day, but it seemed blank. Maybe she'd gone somewhere and drank a lot. She usually didn't drink at all except for special occasions, and even when she did it wasn't enough to leave her so badly hung over that she couldn't remember a thing.

She went into her bathroom and was slightly surprised. She'd meant to go in and take a bath, but that would be impossible seeing as she didn't have a bathtub. She had a stand-up shower. How could she have forgotten the layout of her own bathroom? That wasn't the only thing. Her whole apartment seemed strange and foreign to her.

"Whatever I did, I'm never doing it again," Sarah grumbled as she got dressed. It felt strange, almost uncomfortable, to wear jeans. She was normally relieved to be able to wear jeans because she normally wore a skirt to work.

Just as she finished brushing her hair (it seemed to take a lot longer than it used to), another strange sound met her ears. What was it? She looked around on her bedside table and saw her phone. Oh, her phone was ringing, that's what it was. How could she forget what the phone sounded like? Things just kept getting weirder. She went over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sarah, how are you?"

The man's voice sounded strangely familiar. Very familiar but it still seemed to take her a second to recognize it. "I'm just fine," she replied. "D-Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Robert had thought she was asking him a question rather than confirming it was him on the phone. It sounded strange to hear her father's voice. It was like she hadn't heard it in a long time. So long, in fact, that she felt tears prickling in her eyes.

"How-how are you?" Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice straight.

"Well, things aren't great over here," said Robert, sighing heavily. "Toby's got the chicken pox."

"Chicken pox?" said Sarah, surprised. "Really? Is he alright?"

"Oh, he's alright but he's covered from head to foot," said Robert. "He says it itches like crazy."

"I'll bet it does," said Sarah.

"Yeah," said Robert. "Well, this means real bad news when it comes to our Europe trip."

Europe trip? "What kind of bad news?" Sarah asked, trying to remember what he was talking about and why it gave her such a bad feeling.

"Well, we can't take Toby overseas when he's this sick," said Robert. "I know you and I will be alright because we've had the chicken pox before. Irene, however, hasn't. Just before I called you I saw her scratching her arm in a very suspicious way and I think she might have caught them from Toby."

"Oh no," said Sarah, but still wanting more information about what was going on.

"Yeah," said Robert, sighing again. "Well, with them sick, I need to stay behind and take care of them, so it looks like the trip will have to be postponed, if not cancelled. Toby's bummed and Irene's fussing over the cost of the tickets that we won't be using, but better than then putting anybody's health in any more risk."

"I'm . . . really sorry about this, Daddy," said Sarah.

"Don't be," said Robert. "I called to apologize to you, not the other way around. I know you were pretty excited about this trip too. You even made all those arrangements at work so you could come along and it's all been worthless. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Its fine, Daddy, really," said Sarah. "I just hope Toby, and Irene it sounds like, get better soon."

"Alright," said Robert. "I'd better go check on Toby. I'll see you soon, Sarah."

"Okay, bye," said Sarah, hanging up the phone. Now she was more confused than ever. Why, if she'd been so excited about this trip, was she glad that it was cancelled? Why had she been so moved to hear her father's voice? Why was she forgetting everything?

"What was I doing?" Sarah said aloud, rubbing her temple trying to coax out memories that were hiding from her.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Eight Days until the Solstice**

"B-b-b-but-but-but why d-did she have to g-g-go away!" wailed Strootle, crying loudly even as he spoke.

"Jareth tricked her," said Hoggle, venomously. "He made her go back even though she didn't wanna! Maybe even confessin' to killin' the last High King was just his way o' making sure she went back! This must be some big, elaborate scheme o' his . . ."

"Shut up, you beard-less pipsqueak," growled Tecla. "If you don't know what was going on in his head at the time, then keep your big trap shut!"

The other creatures turned toward the Imp King. She was standing with her head lowered and her eyes downcast. "I went back to the dungeons after I realized what that peach did," she said. "I wanted to give that jerk a piece of my mind, but I saw into his mind and I understood why he did it."

"Oh yeah," said Hoggle, grumpily. "Well, why then? Why'd he go an' do that to Sarah?"

"Because he didn't want her to be without him," she said. "There's no way Renning is going to overturn his sentence, but Sarah would have stayed until the last minute possible. She wouldn't give up until Jareth was actually gone. He knew that but if she stayed too much longer, she'd have become a full Fae. She wouldn't be able to go back to the Aboveground or die peacefully or nothing. She would have been subjected to the curse. If he sent her back now, ahead of time, then things would turn out better, or at least that's what he thought."

"But to send her back without any memory of her time here," said Didymus, gloomily. "Have her forget even us?"

"It was the only way he'd make sure she didn't come back," said Tecla, shrugging.

"Sawah . . . gone," growled Ludo, sadly.

"I miss her!" sobbed Strootle.

"We all do, gentle sirs," said Didymus. "What's more, our way of life is in peril. What will become of us after the Solstice? What'll happen after His Majesty . . . I mean, when we . . . no longer have a king?"

"I dunno," said Hoggle glumly. "We're as good as dead when Renning takes the throne."

Tecla's small hands curled into such tight fists that her sharp nails cut into her palms and drops of midnight blue blood trickled beneath her fingers.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sunday passed in a blur of fuzziness and mild confusion, but Sarah recovered enough to go to work the next day. The office was busy and bustling as always. Women gossiping over coffee in the lunch room, men discussing sports events that had happened over the weekend and Sarah kept to herself at her desk. She felt overly glum today and had to use quite a lot of energy to focus on her job.

She was so absorbed, in fact, that she was very surprised when somebody swooped over and kissed her cheek. Sarah jumped and turned to see a man with bleach blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes grinning at her.

"Hey, baby," he said, cheekily. "What's the matter? I thought I'd have to set the place of fire for you to look up."

"Oh, hi Eric," said Sarah, recognizing him. "Sorry I'm just . . . I'm a bit off today."

"What's wrong?" he asked, a bit more serious.

"Nothing," Sarah lied. "Just . . . the Monday blues, I guess."

"Ah," said Eric, wisely. "It happens to the best of us. Hey, did you wanna grab dinner after work today?"

"Um, not today," said Sarah. Why did she feel so miserable around him? He was her boyfriend, wasn't he? Wasn't his being there supposed to make her happy? "I've got some stuff to do."

"What stuff?" he asked. His questions were becoming rather irritating. Why? What was it that bothered her so much?

"Toby and Irene have come down with chicken pox," said Sarah. "I'm . . . going over there to check on them later today," she invented quickly.

"Ah, no," said Eric. "Tobes has the pox, eh? Well, we all get 'em eventually. I hope he gets better. Well, I'd better get back to work. Don't want the boss eyeing us again," he gave her another kiss, this one on the forehead, and left.

Sarah reached up and rubbed the spot where he'd kissed her. Why did it feel so wrong to be kissed by her own boyfriend?

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Six days until the Solstice**

Jareth stared glumly out of his minuscule window in his cell. He felt numb and weak, the strain of living in this disgusting place was starting to get to him. A small pile of dirty plates with small portions of disdainful food sat near the door of his cell. He hadn't eaten for two days and his clothes, the same one's he'd been arrested in, were starting to hang onto him a little looser than before.

He didn't want to eat. He didn't want to feel anything. The pain in his empty stomach was all he needed to feel. He wanted to feel pain, it soothed him and helped him ignore the numbness in his chest, where his heart once was.

Sliding back into the wall of his cell, sitting on his table-bed, Jareth sighed and fell deep into his misery. He'd felt it the instant Sarah had returned to the Aboveground. He knew she was gone again and this time it was for good. She wouldn't remember him, her friends, or anything. She was gone forever this time and he would never see her again. These thoughts made him feel even worse. They bothered him even more than the idea of his imminent execution. Death was better than this aching feeling of loss. He'd thought the same thing last time she left too, but then he'd had his father come and help him rise above his sorrows. But his father couldn't help him anymore. Nobody could.

The small amount of light that came in through his window steadily began to turn orange as the sun beyond the wall started to set. At this time, in less than a week, he'd leave this dismal place and make the long walk of shame to the Tower. It was right next to the palace and, like the manse, resembled a lighthouse. But unlike the manse, the Tower was much taller and was merely a column of stone. Upon entering the door, prisoners would take the very long walk up the stairs that lead to the top. When they reached the top, they'd find themselves on the roof where a glorious view of the Underground would be seen. Sadly there was also the much less glorious sight of the executioner and a chopping block waiting for them up there as well.

He heard the rattling of keys and saw the guard at his door, giving him his evening meal.

"Hope you'll starve before ya face judgment, ya king murderer?" he asked, noticing the untouched plates. "Well, I don't blame ya. The executioner may forget to sharpen his ax before he deals with ya. Done it before, he did, and the mess was unbelievable."

Cackling with glee, he put down a new plate of food and slouched off. Jareth felt his stomach squirm in a way that had nothing to do with hunger. He severely hoped that the executioner would remember to sharpen his ax before he got there.

"Happy thought," he grumbled.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

She didn't understand what was wrong. She felt so empty and weak, so tired and sad, it was unbearable. She'd gone over to see her family and had been almost overwhelmed at how happy she was to see them, even thought Toby and Irene were covered in spots and trying very hard not to scratch them. But the happiness seemed to fade a bit, like seeing them wasn't quite enough. Days kept going by and she still didn't understand why she felt so awful. When she was alone, she wanted company and when she was surrounded by people, she wanted to be alone.

Being in her apartment was miserable, going to work was utter agony (mostly due to Eric endlessly asking her "Are you alright?"), and she couldn't figure out why. There was a gaping hole in her that was making her feel so utterly miserable.

Unable to stand anything anymore, she went over to her parent's house with a ready excuse in the form of chicken soup for Irene and Toby with her. Her father greeted her pleasantly when he saw it was here.

"This is wonderful, Sarah," said Robert, taking the soup from her. "Irene and Toby are going to be very happy to see this. With Irene abed, I'm the one who has to prepare the meals and, as you know, my culinary skills need work. Come on in."

Sarah enjoyed her family's company. She felt like she'd missed them so much a short while ago and now seeing them, even though two of them were ill, was a great relief. It filled in just a fraction of the emptiness she'd been so overwhelmed with. She sat in her brother's room and watched a spotty Toby eating the soup she'd made.

"This is really good, Sar!" he said. "Dad's been making dinner and it's not good at all! I keep telling him that pickles don't belong in curry, but he won't listen."

Sarah let out a small laugh that sounded hollow even to her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"It _itches_ like you wouldn't believe," he grumbled. "I can't believe I got these stupid pox in the summer! If I'd got them some other time, I'd be able to get out of school! Worse still, we won't get to go on our trip! It's so dumb!"

"Trip?" said Sarah, struggling to remember.

"Aw, sis, don't tell me you forgot already," whined Toby. "Our trip to Europe, remember? We would have been leaving in five days if Mom and I haven't gotten these stupid pox!" He scratched his arm irritably at that.

"Don't scratch or you'll ooze all over your bed," Sarah warned him. "I'm sure we'll get to go on a fun trip some other time, Toby. Don't worry about a thing."

"Yeah," grumbled Toby. "I guess."

Sarah took his empty bowl and told him to get some sleep. When she went downstairs, she heard her father talking in the kitchen. She looked in and saw him talking animatedly into the phone.

"I think I'd know if my own daughter was clinically depressed!" he said, heatedly. "And just who are you, anyway, to suggest such a thing!"

Sarah stared intently at the phone. Someone was calling her clinically depressed?

"Her boyfriend?" said Robert. "Funny, she hasn't mentioned you. Listen, I know my Sarah and she's anything but depressed and I'm not going to go along with some kind of . . . of . . . intervention that you've got worked up. I'm telling you this right now, Mr. Eric Hoffman, if I find out that you're bullying my daughter, I'll alert the authorities!"

He hung the phone up with an irritated force, turned, and saw Sarah standing there watching him. "Oh, Sarah, did you hear that?"

"Yeah," she said, the gloominess she'd been feeling lately was starting to creep back into her system.

"Who was that man?" asked Robert. "Has some boy from work been bothering you?"

"No, Daddy," said Sarah. "He . . . well, I really have been seeing him for a little while."

"He went and called me up and started accusing you of being depressed," said Robert, eyeing his daughter with slight concern. "What's that about?"

"Well, I have been . . . feeling pretty down lately," said Sarah. "I can't tell why. I guess it looks a lot worse to Eric because I've been seriously debating on breaking-up with him."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," said Robert, coming over and wrapping his arm around Sarah's shoulders. "What's making you feel so down? You can tell me. Who's a better listener than old Dad, eh?"

Sarah let out a breath of laughter. "Well . . . I don't really know. It's . . . like I woke up one day and . . . I haven't really been right ever since."

"You know what that sounds like to me," said Robert. "Overwork. Stress, that's all it is. You've been working too hard. You haven't had any sick or vacation days in quite some time, right?"

Sarah shook her head. "I told my boss I'd cash them all in for the Europe trip."

"Hey, I have a great idea," said Robert. "I still have the tickets. Why don't you take some friends and go?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you don't need us to go with you," said Robert. "Go with some friends and enjoy yourself. It'll be just what the doctor ordered, sweetie, I promise. And I think maybe dumping that Eric fellow is a pretty good idea too."

Sarah lowered her head, thinking about her father's advice. It was good and sound coming from a father who loved her and wanted her to be happy, but when she thought about the plane ride over the ocean, she felt her breath catch . . .

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Three Days until the Solstice**

Phograss and Snodgrass hurried into the throne room, gasping and looking very harassed. The castle now served as a type of headquarters for all those opposing Renning and the soon to come coronation. Sarah's three friends, the half-an-half cook, and several others were waiting for the brothers when they came in.

"It's a no go," said Snodgrass, clutching at a stitch in his side. "Surrogate King Renning seems to have figured that we might try to rescue _our_ King, so he's issued that any goblin or other resident of the Labyrinth that is seen anywhere within twenty feet of the castle is to be drawn and quartered!"

"No!" gasped Hoggle.

"Raugh!" roared Ludo, shocked.

"Maltreatment, sir!" barked Sir Didymus. "Abuse of one's power! This will never do! How dare he use the crown to belittle and besmirch! I shall never swear my allegiance to one as vile and dishonest as he!"

"Well, there goes the rescue plan," grumbled Hoggle. "And the escape plan. And the 'keep-our-fingers-crossed-and-hope-for-the-best' plan. I thought you two were supposed ta be pretendin' to be his spies."

"We were," protested Phograss. "But that's the only reason we got away. He informed us of this 'latest precaution' and 'since we've been slightly helpful' he gave us a three minute head start!"

"Exploitation!" cried Didymus. "Corruption! Villainy!"

"What about Tecla's end?" asked Hoggle, turning to Tecla's two imp attendants Calet and Lecat, who were also there. "What's she been doing?"

"Her Majesty King Tecla has been spending a great deal of time in the Lorca Temple," said Lecat.

"Lorca?" said Hoggle, puzzled. "Ain't that the Deity o' the Imps?"

"The very same," replied Lecat.

"Astounding observation, my comrade," said Didymus.

"But what's talkin' to a Deity gonna do?" said Hoggle, irritably.

"Yeah," said Ludo, who did not understand either.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" said Calet, exasperatedly. "If anybody can stop Renning from obtaining the true crown of the Underground, it is the Deities. If they refuse to make a pact with Renning, then another must be chosen."

"But Renning's the only male heir to da throne who's legit," said Hoggle. "The Deities can't say no when there ain't nobody else to take over."

"Her Majesty seems to think it's the only way," said Calet. "And she is _not_ wasting her time!" he added, angrily, reading what Hoggle was thinking.

"Hey! Keep outta my head, ya lousy imp!"

"I can't help it if you think so loudly, you beard-less pipsqueak!" snapped Calet.

"Brethren, no, no!" cried Didymus. "We shant fight amongst ourselves, not when the enemy is still about!"

"Yeah," said Ludo, nodding his big head vigorously. "Friends!"

Hoggle and Calet exchanged nasty looks, but said no more.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**27 hours until the coronation, 23 hours until execution**

Tecla knelt at the alter of Lorca, the Imp Deity, and felt her fury rise. She hated what was about to happen. In less than a day, Jareth would be dead and a few hours later, Renning would be High King. It wasn't to happen. She'd practically starved herself praying for a way to stop this, and she'd had enough.

"HOW CAN YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!?" she bellowed up at Lorca's likeness. Unlike Theophania, Lorca only had one form. "You and the rest of the Deities are gonna make a pact with a corrupt soul who dwells in corruption and secrets and lies, even murder! Has the Underground lost favor so badly that you'll let us be ruled by a black-hearted and vainglorious king? _Do we no longer deserve your attention? Do you not care anymore!? _ANSWER ME!"

Tecla collapsed at the alter, breathing heavily and scowling. Several silent minutes passed in which she just knelt there, seething, until she heard something.

_Tecla, King of the Imps, what displeases thee?_

She knew that voice. She'd heard it before, on the day she'd received the crown of the imp kingdom. It was Lorca's voice.

"What displeases me?" she growled. "An innocent Fae is about to be murdered and a corrupt soul is about to take the throne of the Underground! _That's_ what displeases me!"

_The Fae of this world have brought discrimination and hatred. This is the reason they suffer as they do. It was unanimously decided by us, the Deities._

"What? Don't they deserve another chance?" asked Tecla, angrily. "New king, new reign, new rules, right!? Why can't you cut them some slack? They've suffered for years and years, isn't that enough."

_Your thoughts dwell on the Fae who calls himself King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth. He is to be executed, correct?_

"Falsely!" shrieked Tecla. "We both know he'd make a better king than Renning! You can't let that scum take the throne. The Underground will be in even more trouble! Wasn't the curse enough?"

_But the curse can be lifted._

This reply startled Tecla. "S-seriously? How? What can I do?"

_Thou art powerless to put an end to the curse. It is the High King and only he who may rid the world of the curse. He must wish it upon forming a pact with Theophania, the Deity who was scorned when the last King broke their contract._

As Lorca's voice died out from Tecla's mind, she bent her head again in prayer. Only this time, it was a different Deity she called for.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sarah lay on her bed, dozing and sunk deep in a sadness she couldn't explain. She'd even let herself shed a few tears while never knowing where they came from. She would be leaving for Europe soon. She hadn't given the extra tickets to friends because one, she didn't feel much like company at the moment and two, she couldn't find anybody she was passionate about taking with her on such an adventurous trip.

She turned over to her side, wiping away the tear residue from her eyes. If she just _knew_ what the matter was, she could solve it. If somebody would just let her know what happened to her to make her feel so (she hated to use the word) _depressed_ then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. But everything was surrounded by the unknown.

"Something's missing," she said aloud. She knew that, truly. There was something missing within her, leaving her only a half-baked impression of her true self. Nobody here could soothe the ache. But then who could?

Burying her face deep into her pillow she mumbled something almost without realizing she was saying it aloud. "Where is it?" she whispered. "Where . . . is my heart?" and with only that thought in her mind, she drifted into a troubled sleep.

She was so deeply asleep, that she failed to hear her window unlatch itself and creak open.


	18. Within You

She came in through the woman's open window, in the form of a dove. She fluttered lightly inside of the small room and landed noiselessly on the foot of the bed where the girl was lying asleep. She could see dried tear tracks on her face. She must have suffered. Her's was, after all, the first case of this kind ever to occur. Ruffling her white feathers, she took on another form, her newest shape. She no longer had clawed talons or wings or feathers. Now she took on a form with hands, feet, skin and long, trailing hair.

The figure stepped lightly over to Sarah's sleeping form, a staff clutched in one hand. She very carefully placed a hand on Sarah's brow, which was furrowed in troubled sleep. She could feel the traces of the spell that had been cast upon Sarah. The spell Jareth had cast in the hopes of protecting her from grief and further sorrow. A soft word from her was all it took and the spell shattered and Sarah's eyes snapped open.

Sarah sat bolt upright, her head pounding as the suppressed memories came flooding into her mind. She remembered the plane crash and waking up in Hoggle's house. She remembered meeting Tecla and the rest of her friends in the Underground. She remembered Jareth, everything about him. She remembered when she burst into his chambers, when he'd kissed her hand and called her stunning, when he held her in his arms and showered her in his love. She remembered Renning coming and accusing her of killing the High King. She remembered Jareth exposing his wrists and confessing.

"Jareth," she gasped, her head still pounding and painful.

It as only then that Sarah realized that she had company. Slowly, she turned to look at the figure standing beside her bed. A woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face. It was a face that she recognized.

"R-Rose?" she stammered, blinking disbelievingly.

The woman smiled gently at her and shook her head.

"My name is Theophania," she said. She had a soft, gentle voice that was soothing and calmed Sarah's nerves. "I am the Deity of the Fae race and the holder of the pact of the High King of the Underground."

Sarah scrambled out of bed and stared at her. "You're . . . a Deity?" she stammered. "But . . . you . . . you look just like Jareth's mother, Rose. I only saw her in a portrait, but . . ."

"I have but merely taken a new form," said Theophania. "It is a form identical to that of the cleric who remains to this day as the only human to make the full adaptation from human to Fae."

"I see," said Sarah. "Um, I beg your pardon but . . . why are you here in the Aboveground?"

"I have come in answer to the prayers of the many creatures of the Underground," said Theophania. "Several beings of various races have called upon the Deities, in the hopes that we will spare them from a terrible fate in the form of a corrupt ruler and a freedom from the curse that we set into motion many years ago."

Sarah remembered her friends. She'd left so suddenly, she hadn't even said goodbye to any of them. Jareth had given her another peach. This time it sent her home to the Aboveground without her memories. What had his intention been? Why would he send her away? She wanted to save him. It was only then that she realized that she'd been in the Aboveground for several days now and had no idea how much time had gone by in the Underground.

"Theophania," she said, turning her attention back to the Deity. "What day is it in the Underground?"

"The Underground, in correlation to this world, is currently in the evening of the Solstice," said Theophania. "In the Sacred Hour, I shall present myself and make a new pact with the next High King of the Underground."

"Renning," gasped Sarah. "Did you say the evening of the Solstice? Oh no, Jareth! Theophania, you must stop them! They're going to kill Jareth for killing the last High King. He's innocent!"

Theophania hung her head sadly. "Though I am the guardian spirit of the Fae race, I have no control of their personal actions. Your Jareth's fate is a personal choice, as it is also a choice of the Crown Prince and the rest of the Royal Family. I am not allowed to interfere in their individual lives."

"But he'll die!" cried Sarah. "He'll die a wrongful death, just like that human! That's what started this whole curse in the first place."

Theophania tilted her head and gave her a slight smile. "I see," she said. "You care for his survival because he is in possession of your heart, just as you are in possession of his."

"What?" said Sarah. "I . . . really do have his heart?"

"Yes," said Theophania. "You were far enough along in your transformation to make such a bond."

"Then you know I can't allow him to die," said Sarah. "Theophania, please . . ."

"There is no need," said Theophania. "I do have the power to return you to the Underground for the third time. However, I must warn you of the circumstances in which you will find yourself."

"What circumstances?" asked Sarah, puzzled.

"The execution of your Jareth will happen very soon," said Theophania. "Should I make a pact with Renning, you will be under his power until the next pact is made. His hatred is strong and if you are harmed because of your difference, then I will have no choice but to punish the Underground further."

"I don't care," snapped Sarah. "I'll beat Renning, I'll save Jareth and, if I can, the Underground too."

"Be warned," said Theophania. "The curse that was placed over the realm of the Fae can only be broken if the High King wishes it upon his coronation. If Renning does not wish this, the curse will go on and on. It may, perhaps, last forever."

"I'll take the chance!" Sarah insisted. "I have to go back. Please."

Theophania smiled again, more broadly. "Very well, I shall grant your request. I must admit . . . you're almost as stubborn as the woman whose form I now take."

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The light from within his cell was turning orange again. His heart was starting to pound rather painfully in his chest. It was sunset of the Solstice. The time had come at last. He'd been lost in his miserable torpor that the past nine days had gone by in a blur of hunger, grief, and pain. He'd heard the festivities of the Solstice going on outside his cell. The day had consisted of a feast in Renning's honor and he'd heard the music and merry-making through his window.

Jareth jumped a little when he heard the sound of keys outside his cell door and Glamrod the Cyclops and a couple of Minotaurs were standing outside with malicious looks on their faces.

"Time at last," said Glamrod.

Jareth gingerly got to his feet. He still ached from the beating Renning had given him, but most of his bruises had subsided by now and his tooth had re-grown itself. It seems the magic in his blood had managed to heal him despite the iron of the dungeons. He cast his dingy cell one last glace before his hands were bound once again and he was being marched out of the prison.

Renning was waiting just outside the door to the dungeons, dressed in his finest and glowing with happiness. Romulus and Remus were beside him, sitting tall and steady as statues.

"The time has come," said Renning, grinning at Jareth. "Glamrod, I must stay here and get ready for the formation of the pact in the thirteenth hour, so you'll have to oversee the proceedings."

"You're not coming to watch, Your Excellency?" asked Glamrod.

"No, no, I've much to do," said Renning, waving his hand elegantly. "You know how much I love to watch Xerxes work, but I'm simply too busy. Still," he lowered his voice and bent closer to Glamrod. "Leave the head in the basket for me, won't you? When you're done, have Xerxes ring the Black Bells. Then we shall have the Solstice begin."

"Yes, Sire," said Glamrod. "Let's go, maggot!" he barked at Jareth.

Jareth had an extremely violent urge to curse the Cyclops, but thought better of it. There was really no point in causing more grief to himself, he was already too miserable. His guard walked him out of the castle, Renning waving cheekily after them.

The group of four then made the long walk to the Tower. This part was usually considered a walk of shame. Citizens of the Underground would line up along the path that leads from the castle to the Tower so they could jeer at the condemned person and sometimes throw food at them. Now, however, it was empty. Nobody had come to witness this death. Jareth was sure that Renning and Presea wanted this to end quickly and quietly so that nobody could protest.

It took all his focus to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Jareth hated what was happening to him. He tried desperately not to focus on what was going to happen to him when he got to the top of the Tower. But the less he thought about it, the faster they seemed to go. Glamrod had opened the door and the Minotaurs were ushering him inside. All that was in there was the spiraling stairway that lead to the top. Step by step, the group started to climb. Still not wanting to think, Jareth counted the stairs as they walked up. Thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine . . . ninety nine, one hundred, one hundred and one . . . two hundred and twelve, two hundred and thirteen . . . five hundred and fifty three, five hundred and fifty four . . .

After step number one thousand, two hundred and ninety nine, they arrived at the top. Jareth lifted his head and beheld the spectacular sight. There were no walls, but pillars surrounded the circular room holding up a domed ceiling. The air seemed cleaner up here and he couldn't help but breathe it in deeply, savoring it. He could see almost all the Underground from up here. It was all dimly lit and shadowed as the sun continued to set hastily over the horizon, turning the sky blood-red. There was, however, the much less welcome sight of the executioner, the giant wilder elf named Xerxes. He wore the black mask of an executioner as well as a sharp-looking ax in his hands. A chopping block sat at his feet, waiting just for him.

Jareth approached the block, but did not kneel yet. Glamrod came up close to him, ordered the Minotaurs to go back and wait by the entrance, and then pulled out a scroll and read.

"Jareth, illicit son of High King Darius, King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth, you have been found guilty of the terrible crime of murder and have been sentenced to death by beheading by the Royal court executioner, Xerxes. Do you have anything you would like to say?"

Jareth looked down at the block. It had been used before. He could see brown stains on it that was clearly dried blood that had not been properly washed off. Feeling a little dizzy, he took another deep breath to calm his nerves, which was difficult because his heart was pounding like a drum. He tried to think of Sarah. Yes, thoughts of her would make him feel better, he was sure.

"Well?" asked Glamrod, apparently hoping for Jareth to start blubbering or begging. "Any last words, maggot?"

Jareth glared at him. "Not to you," he said.

"Very well then," said Glamrod. "May there be mercy in your next life."

"Kneel," grunted Xerxes.

Jareth forced his knees to give way and he knelt before the chopping block. He felt completely sick. He didn't want to show any of his increasing panic, but he feared he might just give in if this didn't end soon.

"Blindfold?" asked Xerxes.

Jareth shook his head. The last time he would do so, he realized with a jolt. He bent forward until his neck was resting on the block, exposed just right for Xerxes' ax. The wood cut into his Adam's apple and it smelled like blood. Jareth heard the executioner grasp his ax and hold grasp it tightly. He heard Glamrod chuckling darkly. He closed his eyes, for all there was to see was the basket his head was about to fall into as soon as that ax was brought down. He was starting to wish he'd taken that blindfold.

He tried to think of Sarah, his beloved, trying to find some kind of comfort, but all he could focus on was that ax rising higher . . . and higher . . .

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

DING! DONG! DING! DONG!

Renning couldn't help the weak, disbelieving chuckle that escaped his throat as he watched the Tower from the window of his chambers. He could hear the Black Bells tolling and a deep, swoop of relief consumed his entire being. Jareth was dead. _Jareth was dead!_ He could sleep at last! Nothing stood in his way anymore, nothing! He was free of his miserable half-brother forevermore!

"It's over," he giggled. "It's finally over! Ha ha! It's over at long, long last!"

"Over?" said a voice from behind him.

Renning turned. "Sister?" he said, puzzled. "I don't remember inviting you in here."

"I . . . well, I just heard you laughing a second ago," said Zara, coming closer. "What's over? Has something happened?"

"Yes, indeed, dear sister," said Renning. "Our brother, Jareth, is dead at last! I've nothing to fear anymore. I can sleep again, my sweet sister! Jareth is dead! Praise the world!"

"Jareth's sentence has been carried out?" said Zara.

"Yes," said Renning. "Now, in a few hours time, I shall be made High King of the Underground! I shall have my wish granted by Theophania!"

"What wish?" Zara asked.

"I shall ask her for all the power of the Deities!" said Renning, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "I will gain power over everything, even curse itself. I shall have it ravage more wild and fierce than ever before upon my enemies and relieve it from those who please me. I have waited so long for this. For a chance to take what is rightfully mine. Father wanted to give it all to Jareth, but with him gone I now have nothing to fear. What was always meant to be mine, I can have at long . . .!"

Renning froze. Something . . . very strange had occurred. He was . . . in pain. Why was he in pain? Why did his back hurt so terribly? What was going on? He heard laughter going on somewhere behind him. Someone was laughing in his ear.

"You always were a power hungry fool, my brother," said Zara. "You were so obsessed with Jareth you never even thought of any other plots to steal the throne."

Zara laughed and tugged her knife out of her brother's back. He was bleeding profusely and he fell to his knees, clutching the wall and staring at her in disbelief.

"S-Sister?"

"Yes, brother dear," said Zara. "I must thank you so very much for getting rid of Jareth. I knew your hatred for him would get him out of the way."

"Sis-sister . . . but . . . why? . . ."

"Why? Why!? I'll tell you why, my brother," said Zara. "Because all of my life all I've ever heard was your name and Jareth's! Nobody ever, not once, thought of giving the throne to me! Father completely forgot about me! Why is it that a woman cannot take the throne!? You'd just lead the Underground into further chaos, especially with such an absurd wish! And as for Jareth, he'd let those foul goblins run the place! He'd bring down the Fae and make us inferior! Don't you see? You both have to go. Well, you two and Father, of course."

"You . . . you . . ." Renning gasped. "You're . . . the one . . . who . . . k-killed Father?"

"Yes," said Zara, happily. "I dropped by Jareth's filthy castle the other day. I managed to shake off my companions for a few minutes and stole some Gobblederoot from that disgusting Bog. At my birthday celebration, while Father was at the manse and everyone was distracted, I slipped it into his bedtime drink. I knew you'd blame Jareth and I was right. He was the first person you went to . . . and now you've had him executed. You were all that was left in the way of my obtaining the throne."

"No . . ." Renning wheezed, falling to his hands and knees. "Sister . . . please . . ."

"Now the Deities have no choice," said Zara, throwing her knife down. "They _must_ accept me as the new ruler of the Underground. They _have _to let a woman take the throne. You've been very helpful, my darling brother, and I regret that this has to be the outcome. Goodbye, dearest brother."

Renning crawled toward her, blood still pouring from the deep cut in his back. "Zara . . . sister . . . please, no . . . I . . . ." Renning's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward, one hand grasping towards the hem of Zara's dress. His body twitched and he expelled one last breath before he moved no more.

Zara stood there, merely looking down at the corpse of her last obstacle with all the triumph in the world. After a few minutes, however, her musings were interrupted by a loud scream.  
"RENNING!" screamed Queen Presea, barging into the room and running to her son's side. "Wake up, Renning! Look at your mother, my son! Oh, my son, this cannot be! Not my son!"

"It's alright, Mother," said Zara, kindly. "There is still one last heir to inherit Father's legacy."

Presea lifted her eyes from Renning's body to her daughter's face. "Zara, what are you saying? Have _you_ done this horrible thing?!"

"Yes, I did," said Zara. "To prove, once and for all, that the High crown can, and will, belong to me. It's better this way, Mother. I'd make a much better ruler than Renning or Jareth. Now that they are both dead, I can finally take my place in this world. Isn't it better this way, Mother?"

"Zara, have you lost your senses completely!?" gasped Presea. "You . . . you have murdered your beloved brother! How could you do such . . .?"

"I did it and I'll not hesitate to do it again," said Zara, threateningly. "I have no grudge against you, mother of mine, but if even you stand in my way, I shall have to do you harm."

Presea gasped. She was staring at her daughter with complete fear and seemed ready to faint. Zara smiled sweetly down at her. "Well, Mother, if our conversation is over, I must get ready for tonight. I have a pact to form with Theophania."

Zara twirled around and left the room, her silken skirts rustling as she walked, leaving Presea along to mourn the loss of her precious son.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"SARAH! You're back!"

Sarah turned around. In the blink of an eye, her world had completely changed. One minute she'd been talking to the Deity Theophania in her apartment in the Aboveground, next she was standing in the throne room of the Castle beyond the Goblin City. Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Phograss, Snodgrass, Strootle, and Tecla were all there and jumped at the sight of her.

"Everyone," Sarah gasped, still a bit dazed from the sudden change of scenery.

"How'd ya get back?" Hoggle asked, looking utterly perplexed.

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Tecla, who had a hand on her chest.

"It's a long story," said Sarah. "What's been going on? Has the coronation already happened yet?"

"No, the coronation starts at thirteen o' clock," said Tecla. "It's twelve-thirty now. We were just getting ready."

"Getting ready for what?" Sarah asked.

Tecla grinned and pointed out the window. Sarah looked and saw the entire goblin army was preparing itself for battle. They were all wearing armor and sharpening their spears and swords and some even taking pencil sharpeners to the teeth of their Nipper Sticks.

"When Renning makes the pact with Theophania, we're going to strike," said Tecla. "We'll interrupt the precious proceedings and I'll tell Theophania myself that Renning is corrupt and mustn't take the throne!"

"_I _shall lead the battalion," said Didymus, proudly. "Sir Hoggle and Sir Ludo as well are coming as well."

"Yeah," said Ludo, happily.

"Um, well, I was hoping for a spot in the back . . ." mumbled Hoggle, who looked as if he was seriously questioning this plan.

Sarah was questioning it too. "Guys, you realize that if this fails, you'll all . . ."

"It'll only be dying sooner than if Renning takes over!" said Tecla. "We must fight! It's our only shot."

"What about Jareth?" asked Sarah. "What about him? Is he alright?"

The others exchanged looks. "Sarah," said Hoggle, timidly. "Just this evenin' we . . . er, heard the Black Bells a-ringin'. That . . . well, it usually signifies that someone's been . . . they've been . . ."

"Renning played a dirty trick," said Tecla, bitterly. "We heard that it was sundown, but that usually means as soon as the sun disappears, then the prisoner is taken up. But he took Jareth away too early. And if they rang the Black Bells already . . ."

"He's not dead," said Sarah, flatly.

They all gaped at her.

"Jareth's not dead, I can feel it," said Sarah. "I'd know if he was and he's not. I can tell even thought I was away. Now that I'm back, I know that he's still here waiting for me. He's alright. I know he is."

"I . . . well, I can't tell you how much I hope you're right, Sarah," said Tecla. "Well, I'll let you in on the plan Sarah. I'm going to use magic to transport myself directly into the castle so I can let the troops in when the time is right."

"I'll go with you," said Sarah. "I want to know what's been going on."

"I'll let you in on everything that's happened since you left once we get there," said Tecla. "Come on, people, we've only got a few minutes left until the thirteenth hour!"

"Right," said Didymus. "Let us meet again as victorious comrades, my lady!"

"See ya in a minute, Sarah," said Hoggle.

"Soon," said Ludo.

Sarah nodded. "Okay, Tecla. We need to go."

"Right," said Tecla. In a flash, Tecla and Sarah were gone. Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus went outside to round up the troops, leaving the three goblins inside.

"What'll we do if this fails?" asked Snodgrass.

"We can kiss our heads goodbye," said Phograss, wearily.

"Don't be a-scared," said Strootle. "The plan shall work! I just knows it shall!"

"Try telling that to Ja . . ." Phograss began, but he was interrupted by something large and white zooming in through the throne room window.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The three guards walked up the many stairs to the top of the Tower on the orders of the High Princess. They were her personal guards, three massive trolls, who served her well. She had ordered them to retrieve the head of the Goblin King, who had been executed a few minutes ago. Once the Black Bells had rung and the Crown Prince was dead, they agreed to gather the head as proof of Jareth's demise as well.

"Our Lady's gonna be the first High Queen to 'old a pact wiv da Deities," grunted Doorknob. (Trolls were terrible with naming themselves. They're usually named after the first thing their parent's could think of.)

"Aye, she is," said Window. "Better 'er den dem princes, as I aways said."

"Now days both dead," said Floorboard. "Wes gonna go and get da 'ead and 'ang it from da top o' da towa'!"

"Fer all da woyld to see!" grunted Doorknob. The others cackled with glee. They finally made it to the top of the Tower and found what they were looking for. The executioner was gone, but a body lay hunched over the chopping block and something was sitting in the basket just beneath it.

"Grab dat 'ead, Floorboard!" bellowed Window.

Floorboard agreed, grinning widely and revealing his rotten teeth. He hobbled forward and grabbed onto the hair of the head in the basket. He stared at the distorted face and noticed something very peculiar.

"Oi! Doorknob?"

"Wot be it?"

"Didn't dat Gobin King have _two_ eyes?"


	19. Time is Running Out

**Ying-Fa: Sorry for the wait. Here it is, the penultimate chapter! Please enjoy!**

**Twenty minutes earlier**

_SLICE!_

_Jareth heard the ax swing and cut but felt nothing. There was no pain, no darkness other than the inside of his eyelids. He heard two things fall to the ground. The first thudded to the ground and seemed to bounce a bit, the second was much heavier and crumbled. Confused and frightened, Jareth finally opened his eyes and looked up._

_Glamrod was laying on the ground in two pieces. His head had fallen right next to where his body collapsed, the one glowing eye wide open in shock. Jareth looked around and saw the executioner, Xerxes, standing proudly over the body. He then pulled a small knife from within his boot._

_"There isn't much time," said Xerxes. "I must ring the Black Bells to alert the world that I have killed you. You must move quickly and flee while you can."_

_"What?" said Jareth, perplexed. "Why are you helping me?"_

_"Because you are not guilty of the crime you were accused of," said Xerxes._

_Jareth raised an eyebrow at him. "And how can you be so sure of that?" he asked, wondering if this was a trick._

_"It was said the King Darius forever blamed himself for the curse over the Underground," said Xerxes, taking off his black mask and revealing his face. It was a main of gray hair, stony eyes, and a scraggily beard. "But if he did, it wasn't nearly as bad as how my grandfather blamed himself."_

_"Your grandfather?" said Jareth, more puzzled than ever._

_"The job of executioner has run in my family for endless generations," said Xerxes. "Wilder elves like me are known to for our abilities to kill when ordered. My grandfather, however, forgot himself. He got carried away with the job. He enjoyed death too much. He was far too eager to kill that innocent human man. Once he did, the Deities took their wrath out on all the Underground. My grandfather never raised his ax again. The duty was passed to my father, and my grandfather died consumed with shame and regret. Ever since, my family took an oath to never again take an innocent life."_

_Jareth understood. "But how can you be so sure that I'm innocent?" he asked, merely making sure he covered all the bases before he took the Wilder elf's help._

_Xerxes reached for a string around his neck, tugged, and revealed a stone dangling from it. Jareth recognized it as an Imp stone. When an imp died, it stores its mind-reading powers into a stone and passes its power onto the next generation. _

_"My father received this stone from an impish friend," he said. "When my father described this new oath that my family had taken, the imp offered his powers to us."_

_"A sentimental story," said Jareth. "But, if you're done taking innocent lives, why kill him?" he jerked his head to the dead Cyclops. Again, just covering bases seeing as he hated that filthy Cyclops._

_"He was guilty," replied Xerxes._

_"What was he guilty of?" Jareth asked._

_"Conspiracy to murder," said Xerxes, shrugging. "Now, put an end to this talk. You must flee while you still can."_

_Xerxes used the knife he'd taken from his boot and used it to free Jareth from the shackles around his wrist. "I shall deal with this mess," he jerked his head over at the Cyclops's body. "You flee."_

_Jareth nodded and hurried for the stairs. He could hardly believe what had happened to him just now. He'd been spared. But there would be little time for celebration. Renning's ascension would happen very soon. He'd have to hurry and put a stop to it. He was an illicit son of the High King but maybe, just maybe, he could prevent Renning's taking the throne._

_Rather than taking the stairs, he transformed into his owl form and flew out of the Tower just as the Black Bells began tolling, announcing death. _

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Sarah and Tecla sneaked quietly into the palace. It looked almost completely empty. This surprised Sarah. "Where is everybody?" she asked Tecla.

"Outside, probably," said Tecla. "Only the Royal Family is supposed to be present for the formation of the pact. Once that's over, the new High King will present himself to the whole of the Underground."

"Tecla, how are we supposed to stop this from happening?" said Sarah. "If Renning is the only one worthy to form the pact, how do we stop it? The Underground needs a High King to hold the pact, doesn't it?"

"I don't know," said Tecla. "We'll think of something. You're the one who says that Jareth's not dead. I pray you're right."

Sarah lowered her eyes. Jareth wasn't dead, she knew it. But then . . . where was he? Was he alright? Where had he gone? If they could convince Theophania not to make a pact with Renning than maybe . . . just maybe . . . Jareth could do it instead. But Jareth wasn't a legitimate heir. Would he have the right?

"Come on, Sarah," said Tecla. "They'll be in the throne room. Once we're sure that there's nothing that can be done to stop Renning taking the crown, we'll alert the troops."

"Tecla, I still don't think attacking the palace will . . ."

"What is this!? Who are you!?'

Sarah and Tecla both spun around and gasped. It was Presea. She looked oddly worse for wear. Her eyes were bloodshot and her make-up was runny. She was staring at the two of them with complete fury.

"Guards! Guards! Come quickly! Intruders!"

Sarah heard a clanking of armor and knew that the guards were coming. But before she could try to run, Tecla pointed to the doors of the throne room and they slammed shut. With another wave of Tecla's hand, a glowing wall was up around the doors. It was a special, magical barrier that prevented the guards from using magic to come in.

"The jig is up!" cried Tecla, glaring threateningly at Presea. "Nobody in the entire Underground wants Renning to take the crown and we're here to put a stop to it!"

"Well," mumbled Sarah. "I'm really just here to find Jareth, but . . ."

Nobody seemed to be listening to Sarah, however. Presea looked from Tecla to Sarah, looking shocked and outraged. After a moment, however, her face dropped and her eyes began to water. Tecla and Sarah stared at her, startled by this reaction.

"The crown," said Presea, her voice thick with sorrow. "Ruling the Underground, the pact with the Deities, it all seems . . . so utterly _worthless_ now!"

"What!?" said Tecla. "What are you talking about?"

"I . . . I've lost so much," wept Presea. "My son is dead, my daughter has gone mad, and my life is over."

"What!?" Tecla cried again, this time with even more shock. "Renning's . . . dead?"

"My daughter has gone mad," said Presea, shaking her head miserably. "She's killed both her father and her brother and has threatened even me! I . . . am lost. I don't know what to do anymore! I've lost my children completely."

Sarah stared at the crying woman. Ever since she found out how cruel she'd been to Jareth, Sarah had nothing but contempt for the woman. Seeing her now, grieving as she was, Sarah felt a rush of pity. This poor, pathetic woman had had everything turned upside down in a matter of minutes and was left with nothing. Sarah knew what that felt like. She'd stewed in that same sorrow for the two days she'd in Hoggle's house.

"Hold it!" cried Tecla. Sarah wondered how Tecla could be so perplexed, but the she remembered that Tecla couldn't read the minds of the Royal Family. "I'm confused! Zara killed the High King? And now she's killed Renning? Why would she do all this?"

"She wants the throne," said Presea, sadly. "Now that Darius, Renning and that horrible Jareth are gone, she feels that the throne can now be hers."

"I guess . . . that's right," said Tecla, looking a bit worried. "If there aren't any male heirs left, then the Deities wouldn't have much choice. Zara's the only heir left. They have to make the pact with her."

"No, you don't understand," cried Presea. "Nobody understands! Nobody!"

"What are you saying?" asked Sarah. "What don't we understand?"

"Zara cannot have the throne even now that she's the last," said Presea, now shuddering with remorse. "The Underground simply _must_ have a High King or something dreadful will happen! And Zara is . . ."

Before Presea could finish, her words were cut short by Tecla's cry of surprise. Sarah turned just in time to see Tecla fly across the room and land smack into the wall. Chains appeared out of nowhere and bound her tightly to the wall, even though she struggled desperately.

"Tecla!" Sarah cried, but before she could move to help, she felt some kind of strong, invisible force lift her and throw her against the wall too. In seconds, she was bound to the wall as well, trapped and immobile.

"Mother, just what is with this company you're keeping?"

The three spun around in time to see Zara enter the room. She looked beautiful but her eyes were cold as she examined the three of them. "Wait a minute, I remember you," she said, once she looked over at Sarah. "You're that human girl from court all that time ago. The one that Jareth worked so hard to protect from us. Well, I was going to blame Renning's death on those ugly goblins, but you'll do nicely. In fact, your death will be just what I need to start my wish."

"W-what?" Sarah asked, struggling. "What are you talk . . .?"

"Silence," said Zara, pointing her finger at Sarah. Instantly, Sarah was struck dumb. Her voice vanished completely from her throat.

"And King Tecla of the Imp Kingdom?" said Zara, looking over at her other hostage. "Tsk, tsk, Tecla. I know you're a friend of Jareth's but this? This is open betrayal of the Royal Council!"

"I refuse to accept a murderer as a High King!" screeched Tecla. "I came here to stop Renning, but now I know the truth! You're the murderer we were looking for and I refuse to bend to your will!"

"Fine," said Zara, shrugging. "Then both the goblins _and_ the imps will be marked as traitors and exterminated. It doesn't matter. Now, if you'll be quiet, I have a pact to form."

At that moment, a clock in the throne room started tolling. Sarah looked over and saw that both hands were pointed upward. The thirteenth hour had come at last. In the midst of the throne room, a ring of light appeared on the floor. The light rose up to form a column and within it was a multicolored cloud. That was where Theophania would appear.

Zara moved toward the pillar of light and bowed to it. "Theophania, Great Protector of the Fae and Holder of the Pact, I prostrate myself before you as the next ruler of the Underground. I beseech ye, Theophania, to grant me thy power in the form of my dearest wish. I ask thee to reunite the two worlds!"

Tecla gasped. "No! That can't happen! Somebody stop her!"

But nobody could. Sarah was bound to the wall and unable to speak. Presea was kneeling on the floor and weeping bitterly. The hall was empty except for the four women. Nobody could stop her.

"May there be no more Underground and no more Aboveground," said Zara, still kneeling before the light. "May the humans join us once more. May the world be brought back to the way it once was. Lend me thy aid, Great Theophania, as we of the magical realm wage war against the magic-less. May we overpower them and bring them down forevermore! May all of creation be under us and us alone. Give the entire world . . . completely to me!"

A shocked silence spread throughout the room as Zara finished her speech. Sarah looked around, trying to see what would happen next. Seconds stretched and became minutes, but nothing happened. Zara began looking around, frustrated and perplexed.

"Wh-where is she?" she said, finally. "Where's Theophania? Why isn't she appearing?"

Presea, too, looked startled. Everyone in the room started staring around, looking for the Deity, but nothing happened. Time stretched on, and the pillar remained empty. There was nothing there. Theophania wasn't coming.

"What's going on!?" Zara demanded, looking beside herself with anxiety. "Why isn't she here? Why isn't she coming? Why won't she come?"

"She's not coming because you do not have the Right of the pact."

The four women turned their heads. If Sarah had had a voice, she would have cried out, but Zara did it for her.

"NO!" she screamed. "NOT YOU! JARETH!"

Jareth walked boldly into the room from a door in the back. His face was stony and cruel as it gazed at Zara. "You are not worthy," he said viciously. He seized Zara by the arm and tossed her aside like a rag doll.

"You can't do this," Zara shrieked. "You can't form the pact either! You're not a legitimate heir! You are no more worthy than I am!"

"Really?" said Jareth, cocking his head to the side. "Well, let's just try our luck, shall we?" Then, he stepped toward the pillar and knelt as Zara did. Finally, miraculously, something happened.

The ground began to tremble and the cloud of smoke expanded. It twisted and formed itself into a new shape. Then, the cloud and pillar vanished, the trembling faded, and, in the place where the pillar and cloud once were, stood the lovely figure that had come into Sarah's room and broke the spell over her.

Theophania looked down and smiled gently at Jareth. "Thou who holds the Right of the pact," she said softly. "What would thou wish of me?"

Jareth lifted his eyes to her and blinked as if startled. Sarah understood why. She was, after all, the image of his mother whom he had never seen. A second later, however, he mastered his confusion. "I . . . have but one desire," he said. His eyes flicked over to where Sarah was chained to the wall, gave her a quick grin, and spoke.

"I wish for the end of the curse that the Deities have placed upon us. Return the way of nature to us and allow for new life and peaceful death to grace us once again. May nobody else suffer anymore."

"Understood," said Theophania, nodding to him.

"No!" shrieked Zara. Every eye in the room turned to her. "He isn't allowed! I have more right than he does! He's an illegitamate love child of the High King! I am legitimate! I have the Right, not him! The crown is mine! Mine!"

Theophania blinked at Zara and her eyes were filled with a kind of cold pity. "Thou who lacks the Right of the pact," she said to Zara. "Thou shalt not mock the Deities, nor shall you decide who has the Right and who does not."

"But he's illicit!" Zara cried. "He doesn't . . ."

"He possesses the blood of the High King," said Theophania, crossly. "Wherefore thou, who lacks the blood of the last King, are not worthy."

"Wh-what do you mean?" said Zara, uneasily. "I . . . I have it too! I have my father's blood too!"

From the corner of the room, Presea let out a howl of misery. Zara looked over at her and all the color drained from her face. "But . . . but I . . . _Mother, no!_"

Presea shook her head and wept bitterly. "I'm so sorry, Zara. I thought I'd done all that was required of me. I'd given Darius a son to take the throne. I felt that . . . I no longer needed to pretend. After your brother was born . . . I'd started taking lovers. I . . . I was always unsure as to who your father was. Zara, my child, forgive me."

"NO!" Zara wailed. "This can't be! I'm the true heir! I AM!"

"Enough."

Theophania raised two fingers and pointed them at Zara. The petrified girl grabbed her throat as if she was choking then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed on the floor. Presea screamed in terror, but nobody moved to help her. Theophania, who seemed mollified, returned her attention to Jareth.

"They way things stand here in the Underground, I cannot allow the worlds to reunite," she said. "That day may never come, but thou art correct. The Underground, I believe, has suffered its punishment long enough. As thou would have it, I shall remove the curse and may this wish be a bond between us and the foundation of a new pact."

"I understand," said Jareth, lowering his head.

"Rise," said Theophania. "And let the Underground meet its new ruler. I declare, thenceforth, the pact made. The new High King and Ruler over all the Underground . . . is Jareth."

Jareth stood and held his head high, looking every bit like the king he was. Theophania smiled at him one last time then, as quickly as she'd appeared, she was gone. The chains binding Sarah and Tecla vanished and they landed to the ground. The door to the throne room burst open and a swarm of creatures came in. The Kings and other rulers of the creatures in the Underground had come to greet the new High King. They were all staring around, confused as to what had happened.

"What's going on?" asked the Brownie King. "Where is High King Renning?"

"Renning has been murdered," said Tecla, who came forward and addressed her fellows. "Princess Zara attempted to steal the throne, but Theophania refused to give it to her. The honor has been given, instead, to the Goblin King."

"The Goblin King!?" several people cried at once. All eyes turned to Jareth. He simply stood there, silent. Just as his eyes found Sarah's did someone cry out, "All hail High King Jareth!"

In that next instant, everyone swarmed into the room and engulfed Jareth into there midst. Two guards seized the unconscious Zara and dragged her out of the room while another guard helped Presea to her feet and half-carried her away. Sarah sat silently on the floor, unable to see Jareth or Tecla in the midst of well-wishers and congratulators. Thinking it best, she slipped out of the room and out toward the grounds.

The world peaceful outside the palace, but she could make out the sounds of the fellow kingdoms celebrating the dawn of a new age, the rise of a new king. Sarah slumped down on the steps, exhausted. The days events had been just so spectacular and so many things had happened. There was a lot to consider now, but she just didn't feel up to dwelling on it now. Too much had happened. All she wanted now was one person, but that person was currently lost in a crowd. Jareth was the High King now. His lot was about to get much heavier. The last thing she really wanted to do was burden him now. He, probably, would be better off . . .

"Sarah."

Sarah turned around. Jareth was standing at the doors, his eyes only on her. Sarah stood up and stared up at him. He looked just about as tired as she felt, but his gaze burned as he looked at her. In no time whatsoever, he hurried down the steps and threw his arms around her. It felt so wonderful to be back in his arms again. Letting out a dry sob, she returned the embrace.

"You're alive," she whispered.

"You came back," he murmured.

That was all they said for awhile. He lowered his head and claimed her lips with his. Sarah whimpered into the kiss as she returned it with all her passion. They were together again, nothing more was standing in there way. Nothing would ever stand in there way again. She was so overwhelmed with happiness she felt like crying. In fact, when she felt something wet fall onto face, she thought she actually did start crying. But when another drop landed on her head, she knew that wasn't the case.

_"We haven't had a drop of rain in the Underground in all this time . . ."_

Sarah and Jareth both broke their kiss and lifted their eyes skyward. The night sky was filled with dark clouds, obscuring the stars and moon. After a few moments, the first rain the Underground had had in three thousand years began to fall all around them.

Creatures of all kinds came out and cried in delight. Natural order had been restored. The world was no longer run on magic. Everything was as it once was. The curse had been broken, just as Theophania had promised. Sarah looked over at Jareth, her own happy tears hidden by the rainfall. Jareth didn't move or look at her. His eyes were closed and he let the rain fall over him, as if it was washing the Underground clean of the curse that had plagued it for so long. Though he didn't show it, Sarah could fell Jareth's deep, relieved happiness coming from him.

She wouldn't have been surprised if he had been crying too.

**Ying-Fa: There we are. There's only one chapter left (thought it is actually an epilouge). Nevertheless, you don't want to miss it. Thank you very much and please review!**


	20. Forever May Not Be Long Enough

**Ying-Fa: Yay, last chapter! I'm so happy! I'm so sad! I'm overwhelmed with various emotions and so now I can't tell which I should feel! Anyway, please read and enjoy yourselves completely.**

There was a lot to do after that. True, there was a massive celebration throughout the Underground for the breaking of the curse and Jareth's coronation as High King. Most of it meant a lot of work for Jareth. With all the Underground now looking to him as the new High King, he had to work very hard to set everything in order. He arranged a funeral for Renning and held a trial for Zara. Zara had been given two options, death or a life sentence in the dungeons.

To almost nobody's surprise, she chose death. She told the court she would rather die than live under Jareth's jurisdiction. That she would rather die than rot away in the cells. So, Xerxes carried out the punishment and, despite her crimes, Zara was buried with her father and brother in the Royal cemetery. Presea set her affairs in order, visited her children in the cemetery, and then retired to a country very far away. She took very little with her, only a few possessions and a couple of attendants, and the she just left. That would be the last time anyone would ever see her.

After the coronation, there was much to be done. Jareth set everything into order. He did not move into the palace, as everyone expected of him. He chose to continue to live in the Castle beyond the Goblin City. The Labyrinth had been his home far too long and he had almost no fond memories of the palace and had no desire to change things. The palace was, however, still to be used as a gathering point for the Council and court was held there every few days. Other than that, the living quarters of the castle were neatly covered and packed away until the day when it might be inhabited again.

There were affairs to settle with other kingdoms as well. Debates, trails, and other things that needed the High King's attention were all thrown at Jareth. He took to the stresses of the High King surprisingly well, however. He did have plenty of help, all he needed. Tecla was always willing to lend him her mind reading powers to settle debates to make sure things were done with the utmost fairness. Didymus, who had been promoted to Captain of the Royal Guard, was forever ready to send the troops out to any kingdom in need of help, with Ludo and his army of rocks also at his disposal. Hoggle got his old job of gardener back and Strootle continued to his services as Royal chef.

But perhaps the most helpful person of all was Sarah. By day she was always beside him, helping him with everything and offering her opinions. By doing this she already was starting to become very familiar with the laws and ways of the Underground and was always happy to lend her aid to Jareth. By night, the two were inseparable. Perhaps the reason Jareth has handling his new responsibility so well was because he had Sarah to return to every evening. She was his sure foundation in whatever chaos was going on in the Underground. No matter what was happening, she would be beside him, there for him, every single step of the way.

And he, in turn, was just as there for her. As time stretched on Sarah began, yet again, the adaptation from human to Fae. She was a little more careful about it this time. She maintained a steady diet of natural foods (albeit a little grudgingly) and the transformation was a little easier to endure this time. Although, spending her nights in Jareth's arms seemed to be having an effect on her adaptation as well. Before long her eyes, ears, nails, skin and all the rest had changed. She wore the marks of her changes so well that, during a ball held at the palace several days after Jareth's coronation, she was able to attend and almost nobody could tell she was, at one time, the human Glamrod had dragged into court. It had also been most satisfying to see the look of immense jealousy on the faces of the Fae ladies in attendance when Jareth announced that he would dance with no one else but her. Indeed, Cadma had even burst into tears of furious envy at the end of the night as Jareth sneaked a tender kiss on Sarah's forehead for all those dreadful women to see. The night had turned out to be a blissful one.

Thus, days went by and time slipped away until . . .

**12 days and 23 hours after the formation of the pact**

"Sarah."

Sarah sighed in her sleep, unwilling to acknowledge the voice calling to her. She was so peaceful, so deeply asleep, that she didn't want to be interrupted. She snuggled deeper into her soft pillow and tried to fall back to sleep.

"Sarah, wake up."

A hand, soft and familiar, began lightly rubbing up and down her arm. A second later, she felt someone place a soft kiss on her shoulder. Sarah smiled and turned onto her side. It seemed that Jareth was quite insistent that she wake up and he wouldn't leave her alone until she did so. With a playful sigh, she opened her eyes and smiled up at her fiancé, who grinned down at her, his head propped up on one hand.

"Yes?" she asked, sleepily.

"I didn't think you'd want to miss this moment," he said, softly. He nodded toward the clock on the opposite wall of his chambers. Sarah looked over at it and her insides gave a small jolt. She had only forty-five minutes left of being a human. Once the clock struck thirteen, her adaptation would be complete and she would be a full Fae.

"Is it that time already?" she asked, slightly stunned.

"It seems so," said Jareth. "These past several days have gone by very quickly, I must admit. Having second thoughts, my love?" he asked, leaning down and kissing her shoulder again.

Sarah let out a small laugh. His tone had been playful, but Sarah knew full well that he'd been seriously worried about what she thought. "No, not at all," she said, leaning into him. "I don't have a single regret. I told you that."

"I just want you to be sure," said Jareth, more seriously. "Once you're here, you're here for good, remember? Breaking the curse didn't change the fact that we must remain here."

"You worry too much," said Sarah. "I'm happy here. You're here. Besides, if I go back who will take the job of High Queen? I hear that Cadma is still willing to take the post. Would you rather have her?"

Jareth leaned back and groaned. "By the stars, no! But what about your family? Are you sure about leaving things like that with them?"

Sarah sighed and inched closer to him. "Well, not really, but I'd rather have it like this. They think I died in the plane crash, don't they?"

"Yes," said Jareth. "Despite the spell I placed when I sent you back, the plane still crashed. Your father had advised you to go and they all believe you were there when it went down."

"Yeah," said Sarah, softly. "I will miss them a lot. It's horrible that they think I'm dead. Still, at least I got to see them one last time after I came down here again. I have you to thank for that," she added, nuzzling her face into his chest.

It was true. Once they'd managed to escape the celebrations throughout the Underground after the pact had been formed, the two of them managed to find some peace back in the castle and Sarah explained how she returned to the Underground. Jareth managed to use his crystals to look in on Sarah's family and found them all grieving for her, thinking that she'd died. Upon seeing Sarah's heartbroken face once she saw her family through the crystal, Jareth helped her cast another spell.

The other spell had enabled Sarah to enter the dreams of her father, brother, and stepmother. She'd delivered each of them a different message in the dreams as a kind of final farewell. Robert had blamed himself for allowing her to get on the plane and, therefore, thought himself responsible for her "death". Sarah had come to him and begged him not to punish himself, to remember that he still had a wife and son to care for, and that she was happy and she loved him very much.

Sarah then visited Toby's dreams. He was the one to whom she told mostly the truth. That she wasn't dead, but very far away and couldn't come back. That she was very happy where she was and, though she loved and missed him greatly, this was what she wanted. Toby, though confused in the dream, had understood even through his sadness.

Though she seemed a little less upset than the two men, Sarah also made sure to visit Irene and tell her not to worry or fell too sad. All three members of the family had awoken the next day, the dreams burned into their memories. Though still sad about losing Sarah, the seemed to respect and understand what she'd said and carried on with their lives. Though they never, ever, forgot her.

"I'm alright with the way things are," she said, finally. "I want to be with you. I said I would stay and I will. I told you that last time, remember?"

"Certainly, I do," said Jareth. "But back then I was counting on the curse to scare you away, but even that didn't stop you."

"Yup," said Sarah, smiling. "Now that it's gone, there's no way you're going to get rid of me now. I'm here to stay. Besides, what would you tell all the guests tomorrow? It wouldn't be much of a festivity if the bride wasn't there for the wedding."

Jareth chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Very well, I give up. You can stay."

"Yay," said Sarah, happily. She reached up and kissed him thoroughly. When they finally broke apart, Sarah's eyes flicked over to the clock. They only had twenty minutes now. Sarah didn't say it out loud, for fear of making Jareth worry, but she did actually feel a bit nervous about what was to happen. How different would she feel? She snaked her arms around her lover and watched as the rest of her time as a human ticked steadily away.

Fifteen minutes left . . . ten minutes left . . . eight minutes left . . . six minutes . . .

"It'll be alright," murmured Jareth, holding her tightly. She took comfort in his arms, just his being there was soothing her nerves.

Three minutes . . . two minutes . . . one minute . . . fifty seconds . . . thirty seconds . . .

"Jareth?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, dearest."

Ten seconds . . . five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .

A second later, the clock began to chime the thirteenth hour. It was over. Her time was up. Sarah had closed her eyes somewhere in those last few seconds and, upon opening them again, she found to her great delight that not a single thing had changed. She was still warm in Jareth's bed, still being held tenderly by the man she loved, still in the Underground. She didn't feel much different except a slight, tingling sensation in her fingers, toes, and in the pit of her stomach.

"It's over," she breathed.

Jareth pulled back and smiled down at her. "How do you feel?"

"Good," she said honestly. "I'm . . . feeling pretty good right now."

Jareth laughed softly and kissed her deeply. Sarah was delighted and threw her arms around him yet again. Human or Fae, Jareth would always love her. Maybe that was what she'd been really worried about. It didn't matter now, though. All was well and would be forevermore.

"Now, my love," Jareth murmured against her lips. "We have all of forever to look forward too."

"But forever's not long at all," Sarah reminded him, giggling.

Jareth grinned as he came down onto her fully, now focusing his attentions on her neck. "Indeed, it isn't. In fact, it may not be long enough."

* * *

**Ying-Fa: Yippee! Another story completed! Here are the shout outs! Thank you all so very much for all your support, opinions, glorious reviews, and everything!**

**I feel so grateful! Thank you: Ying and Yang twins, lonely27, Faeries Midwife, notwritten, leannapotter, hazlgrnLizzy, Karmira, lollie-rox-my-sox. ScarlettIvy, Dark Angel Millenia, Aysuh, Gorgie13, luvnote4u, Shadowxwolf, comedychik84, CarrieCullen9586, IAMSOAP, Vincent Severus Mycroft, thedeathchandelier, J Luc Pitard, tichtich2, Jareth'sTrueQueen, ChrissyCorrado, capitane soffye, Momo Shiro-chan, ARoseWithThorns, TearsFromHeaven, CharcoalFeathers, Maantje, keske, Danalas the Lady Chaos, Princess of the Fae, venG, Anon., Paillette, bornbored, Arrialee, Dancequeen105, matterhorn, shaylah mcghee, Morbid Drama Queen10, Kaitou Jareth, xEvilAngel56x, Whiteinu1, Emily-ish, Rebbeca, Trixie09, Sunshineflwer, SiriusDoctorWhoHoney329, Twilight's-Mystery, Madame Dee, Shana-Guardian of the Pack, S, Random-Kitty-Yuffie, The Lady of the Trees, and everyone who put this story or me to their Favorites/Alerts lists. This has been Ying-Fa-Dono. Good night and good luck.**


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